Somewhere I Have Never Traveled
by Lady Harlequin
Summary: *EPILOGUE UP* A girl who thought no one would ever love her... A guy just looking for someone to give his heart to... A love that will twine two hearts for eternity. FujimaxOC
1. Prologue: There...

Somewhere I Have Never Traveled 

_By: Lady Harlequin_

_A "Slam Dunk" Fanfic_

_Part Uno of the "Rare Tales" Story Arc_

_Dedicated to: Mainime_

DISCLAIMER: "Slam Dunk" is NOT MINE, and never will be!!! I just borrowed them from Inoue Takehiko for a short while. I will return them right away when I am through…though I wish that Fujima-kun were real…

NOTE: This plays up a little what Mitsui did when he was a gang leader. I believe it that it is completely unavoidable for him to do such a thing, especially if he wanted the leadership of the gang. But for all Mitsui fans, I promise, I will make him VERY guilty and sorry about what he did ^_~. I like the guy too, and this isn't bashing him. And I know he wouldn't REALLY do this, but let's just put it this way: HE WAS FORCED.

TITLE: The title of this fic is the same as the title of a poem by E.E. Cummings. If you can find that poem, do read it, and you will see why I used the same title for this fic ^_~.

ON THE WAY THE STORY GOES: I will try to follow the series as closely as possible, but there will be a few discrepancies and mistakes, more than likely, in the way the games go and the scoring. So if any of you know better, I hope you will forgive me for it.

ON THE PERSON I DEDICATED THIS TO: "Mainime" is the author of a fantastic trilogy of SD fics entitled "All in the Game", most of them, in one way or another, revolving around her original character Malena Hernandez. I told her the idea for this fic when we first met on Wednesday, July 3, 2002, and she seemed to like it ^_^. 

EMAIL: ladyharley2002@hotmail.com

SUMMARY: Sumire Rowena Villanueva-Hanagata hasn't been to Japan for roughly two years, since the fateful day she was gang-raped on the streets of Kanagawa. Overcoming her fears, she has finally come back, and is living in with her cousin, Toru, and studying at the same school he is. There she is introduced to Toru's best friend, Fujima Kenji, and her experience in basketball paves the way for her to become the manager of Shoyo Basketball Club. However, during a game against rival Shohoku, Sumire comes face-to-face with her worst memories, the memories she swore she would never bring up ever again…

Prologue: There… 

"Mire-chan!!! Where are you going this late at night?!"

Sumire turned around, and flashed a smile at her older cousin, Toru. He was standing in the doorway of the dining room, his arms folded casually over his chest, his eyes twinkling behind his black-framed glasses as he raised his eyebrow at her. "I'm just going out for a walk, Toru-kun! You don't have to worry, I'll be fine."

Toru shook his head. "I don't think you'll be fine, Mire-chan. You might get hurt. I keep on hearing about these gangs that go out at night, looking for young girls to prey on…"

"Toru-kun!!!" Sumire exclaimed with a laugh as she put on her walking shoes. "I'll be FINE. I can defend myself."

"That's beside the point," Toru said. "I've been living here longer than you have, Mire-chan, and I know what goes on out there at night. This place isn't as safe as the subdivisions you know in Manila."

Sumire shook her head. _Jeez, but Toru can be pretty overprotective. _"Toru-kun, I'll be okay, I swear. I promise to avoid the dark streets and stay in the well-lighted places. And I also promise that if I see anything or anyone suspicious, I'll come right back."

Toru stared at her for a long time, before he sighed, and lowered his arms from his chest. "Fine, fine, I know better than to challenge you when it comes to these sorts of things." He smiled at her, half in annoyance, and half in pride. "I don't know whether to be proud or irritated of your stubbornness."

"Better to be proud than irritated," Sumire answered flippantly as she went over to the door. "I'll be back in a while, Toru-kun! Don't wait up for me!"

The last thing she heard as she closed the door was Toru's laughter. She had to giggle as she proceeded with her walk, following the path of well-lighted sidewalks that wove in and out of the comfortable suburban area of the Kanagawa prefecture of Japan. 

Her father was Japanese, but immigrated to the Philippines when he was younger. There he met and married her mother, a Filipino by birth (though there were strains of the Spanish blood on her part), and had her: Sumire Rowena. The name Sumire was Japanese and was chosen by her father, while the name Rowena was chosen by her mother and sounded Filipino in nature. For much of her life, she had been studying and living in a quiet subdivision in Manila, learning Filipino and English at home and in school, while the Nihongo she learned from her father.

_Am I glad I came here for summer vacation, _Sumire thought with a happy smile as she started to head back to Toru's house, after having done a couple of rounds of walking. Toru was her cousin, the son of her father's brother. He lived by himself in a comfortable house just walking distance from his school, where he was currently a high school sophomore. Sumire herself was just a sophomore, and she and Toru shared a lot in common, particularly basketball.

_I'm happy that Toru was willing to let me stay with him on such short notice. I don't know if I'd even BE here if he hadn't agreed to let me stay with him. Mom and Dad sure wouldn't let me stay here by myself… _Sumire really liked her older cousin, finding him rather charming and amusing. _Wonder why he doesn't have an entire line of girls at his beck and call? Back in Manila all the girls would be head-over-heels in love with him._

As she rounded a corner, Sumire felt someone grab her from behind. She attempted to scream, but a gag was immediately placed over her mouth, cutting off the sound that would have rocked the silent street. She felt rough hands grab her hands and legs, immobilizing her, and then tie them up with thick rope. 

_Oh God…_ Sumire squirmed and wriggled as much as she could in an attempt to escape, but it was all in vain. She was carried to what looked like a dilapidated building, and was dumped onto something soft and yielding. Her blood froze in her veins. _A bed…?_

There were voices all around her in the shadows. "Go on Mitsui! Here's your chance! We got her especially for you!"

Sumire whimpered and closed her eyes when a finger touched her cheek. "Kirei, ne? And she looks quite young too. She ought to be a treat!"

"I don't know about this," said another voice, this time deeper in timbre, "What if I don't want to do it?"

"You have to, Mitsui. Or else you won't be able to become the leader of our gang."

Silence.

Sumire screamed against the gag when she felt hands touch her waist, quickly skimming in between her torso and her blouse, pulling her top off. She shook her head violently, saying the words, "no, no, no, no" through the gag.

"Gomen nasai…"

Sumire looked up, and peered deep into dark blue eyes. She memorized the eyes, the face, the voice… _Someday I'm going to find you, _she promised him, _and then I'll make you pay. _

*        *        *

Toru sat up, and looked at the watch for the umpteenth time that night. _It's getting late… Kuso, where did that girl get to?! _

He heard the gate creak open at that moment, and he jumped up in anticipation, heading to the door almost immediately. He opened it, to find Sumire standing there, looking like she was about to enter the door herself.

She smiled brightly at him. "Oh, Toru-kun! What's up with the worried look?"  
  


"How can I NOT look worried if you don't come home at the time I expected you to?!" Toru exclaimed, half-yelling in his anxiety. "I was so worried for you, Mire-chan! I thought that you had been kidnapped or something!!"

Sumire laughed at him as she waltzed into the room, kicking off her shoes and replacing them with a pair of slippers. "Oh Toru-kun, I told you that I would be fine!"

_Oh are you? _"What's that red spot on your skirt then?"

Sumire blinked. "Red spot?" She turned to the back of her skirt, and glanced at the huge red blotch there. She screeched, and blushed. "Oh jeez, is it THAT time of the month?!" She laughed again, and ran to her room. "Sorry you had to see that, Toru-kun! Oh God, that was SO embarrassing…"

Toru stared after her, and shook his head, a small smile on his face. _There's nothing wrong, she's okay. She just lost track of the time and came home late… She's just fine. She's perfectly fine._

AUTHOR'S OOC: 

Harle smirks as she looks at Chibi-Sumire Brilliant little liar, aren't you.

Chibi-Sumire glares at Harle: Well what would YOU do if you were in my position?! 

Harle shrugs: I'd have kicked the bastard in the balls and THEN made sure he lost the capacity to reproduce for the rest of his life.

Chibi-Sumire raises eyebrows: And how do you propose to do THAT?

Harle grins evilly: You grab the guy by the balls, and twist. HARD. If you do it hard enough, you not only knock the poor guy unconscious, but you also do serious damage to his reproductive system.

Chibi-Toru looks pretty worried: You can DO that?!

Harle sighs: Let's move on, shall we?


	2. Chapter One: ... And Back Again

Chapter One: … And Back Again 

Fujima surveyed the basketball team of Shoyo High School with a satisfied smile on his face. _This is the best team that has been assembled yet. All of them are in the best shape, and all of them are in top mental condition. They are ready to conquer and to win. _A determined glint flashed into his eyes momentarily. _We WILL become the Number One this season._

Just then, Hanagata came into the gym, a large smile on his face. 

_Huh? What's up with Hanagata? _Fujima waited for his best friend to approach him, then asked, "Hanagata, why are you late for practice? And why do you have that smile on your face?"

"The same reason," Hanagata answered, and the smile on his face got wider, if that was at all possible. "I just got a call from my aunt and uncle in the Philippines. They said that my younger – and only – cousin, Sumire, will be moving in with me two weeks from now, and that she's going to be studying here in Shoyo!"

Fujima grinned. "Honto? That's great! But you never told me you had a cousin, much less a female one… How come you kept it a secret all this time? I mean, we HAVE been best friends for quite a while now…"

"You never asked about my relatives."

"Only because you don't live with any."

Hanagata laughed then, and waved his hand. "Fine, you got me! But don't you worry, I'll introduce you to her. I think you'll get along pretty well; she's an incredibly nice girl, and intelligent, at that. Why don't you come with me when I pick her up from the airport?"

"When will that be?"

"Two weeks from now, like I said. Are you free then?"

Fujima fell silent for a while, thinking over his schedule. _Hmm, would I be able to go? _He then remembered that he had set a practice that particular weekend for the Shoyo team. He groaned, and shook his head. "Gomen, but I can't. We have practice, remember?"  
  


Hanagata shrugged. "Then move it. Let's have the practice in the morning, since Mire-chan's flight is still in the afternoon. That should solve it, right?"

Fujima grinned broadly. _Sometimes it amazes me that Hanagata can be so resourceful when it comes to these sorts of things. Maybe that's why he has lots of flashes of brilliance on and off court…_ "Well, if that's how you're going to put it… I'll see if I can fiddle with the schedule a little."

Hanagata laughed then. "Sure you can! You're the coach AND the manager, aren't you?"

"Hai, but there are times I wish I could get rid of the managing bit," Fujima answered ruefully. "It's hard handling all these duties all at the same time…coach, manager, and ace…"

"Seems like we ought to find you an assistant then, someone who can take over the managing duties for you," Hanagata said with a thoughtful nod. "Maybe we should consider taking in someone from outside the club to do the managing…"

Fujima nodded. "Hai, maybe we should." He grinned then, and waved his hand to the court. "But we can talk about that later. Get to practice!"

Hanagata laughed out loud, and nodded. "Yes Coach!"

*        *        *

Hanagata peered at the crowd of people swarming the airport, trying to pick out one single familiar face from out of the entire lot. _Now where could she be…? _He turned to Fujima, who was standing right beside him. "Do you see her anywhere?"

Fujima smirked. "I'm not the one who's built like a tower, Hanagata. And besides, I don't even know what she looks like."

Hanagata sighed, and shook his head. _Fujima's weird when he does that. There are times when he praises me for my height, and then there are times when he pokes fun at me for it. _He smiled then. _And I guess that's why he's my best friend…_

"Toru-kun!"

Hanagata snapped to attention when he heard the familiar voice sail through the din, and he looked up to see a slim hand waving at him through the crowd. He grinned as he watched a small figure clad in fresh whites and blues come pushing through the crowd towards him. In moments, a cheerful and rather flushed face was grinning up at him. "Mire-chan!"

Sumire grinned, and promptly dropped the bags she was holding to hug him. "Toru-kun! God, it's been so long since I last saw you!!"

"What are you talking about?! It's only been TWO YEARS, Mire-chan!" Hanagata gripped her gently by her shoulders, and pushed her away, taking in everything about her. He grinned. _She's grown. A lot. _Her lovely black hair that was so similar to his was now longer, almost to her waist, and was tied up in a single ponytail that was starting to become just a little unruly. Her eyes were still the same sparkling brown he had come to know and love, but there was already a slight hint of maturity in their depths. Her figure was curvier now, he observed, and seemed to be the kind of body that would make guys do a double take. "But you have certainly grown a lot."

"And you have grown too," Sumire answered as she attempted to touch him on the forehead, succeeding only barely, and even then by standing on her tiptoes. "Jeez, you're MUCH taller than before!! What have you been taking while I've been gone, huh? Hormone supplements?!"

"I always thought it was just genetics, but it's so like you to put it that way," Hanagata said with a shake of the head. He grinned then, and gestured to Fujima, who had been watching the entire affair with quiet amusement. "And by the way… Sumire, I'd like you to meet my best friend at Shoyo, Fujima Kenji. Fujima, this is my youngest and ONLY cousin, Sumire Rowena."

Sumire grinned brightly, and held her hand out to Fujima. "Hello! Nice to meet you, Fujima-san!"

Fujima grinned back, and shook her hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Sumire-san."

Hanagata smiled, and picked up Sumire's bags. "Come on Mire-chan, let's go home!"

Sumire nodded, and followed him quickly, Fujima just behind her. Hanagata placed Sumire's bags in the trunk of his car, and got into the driver's seat. Sumire slid into the passenger's seat beside him, and Fujima sat in the back.

Sumire grinned as she strapped in the seatbelt. "So, tell me what it's like at Shoyo."

Fujima raised an eyebrow at her. "You're going to be studying at Shoyo?"

"Hai," Hanagata answered with a nod as he pulled out of the airport parking lot, and headed for his house. "Mire-chan will be studying as a freshman at Shoyo…though I think she was supposed to start college already back in Manila. Isn't that right, Mire-chan?"  
  


"Hai," Sumire answered with a mock-mournful tone. "I could've moved on to college already…started on the path to getting my degree…but then Mom and Otoo-san told me to study here AGAIN!!! I tried to get special consideration from the Japanese Department of Education so that I could move on immediately to college, but it wasn't granted, unfortunately, and now I have to repeat my high school education all over again!"

"But at least you'll be with people your own age," Hanagata said consolingly. He glanced at Fujima through the rear-view mirror, and explained, "In the Philippines, the education system is extremely fast-paced, so most students enter college at sixteen or seventeen."

Fujima laughed then. "Oh, so THAT'S the reason! I thought for a second there that you were some kind of genius, Sumire-san!"

Sumire laughed out loud. "Oh no, Fujima-san, I'm no genius! I'm very ordinary, I assure you. I have my own academic woes."

"We're here!" Hanagata declared as he pulled up in front of his house. He got out of the driver's seat, and went over to the back of the car, quickly unloading the luggage he had stowed there (which wasn't really that much). He approached the door, and unlocked it, holding it open for Sumire. "Ladies first, ne?"

Sumire laughed, and whacked him on the arm as she walked past him and into the house. "You can be pretty nice when you want to, you know that? If you do that ALL the time, I wouldn't be surprised to find an entire line of girls at your beck and call!" 

Hanagata grimaced at this, especially when he heard Fujima's snickering as he entered the house. 

The captain of Team Shoyo smirked. "So she doesn't know about all your admirers, does she?"

"Iie, but once she starts studying this Monday, she'll find out," Hanagata answered. 

Fujima laughed, and edged out towards the door. "Well then, I guess I'll have to leave you two alone for some quality family time. See you on Monday, Hanagata!"

Hanagata merely rolled his eyes, and nodded. "Hai. See you Monday!"

AUTHOR'S OOC: 

Harle snickers So far so good!

Chibi-Sumire screeches as another person pops up: EEK!! Who's THIS?!?!

Mystery Person grins, and waves: Hello!

Harle smiles brilliantly: MAIA!!! So glad you could come!!!

Maia shrugs: Well, you know, it was a little hard, considering the number of lines I had to wade through, but hey, all worth it in the end!!

Chibi-Fujima eyes Maia suspiciously: Who is she? Another author?

Harle grins and bobs head in a nod: Yup! She's the one who wrote the fic about Rukawa and Malena!

Chibi-Hanagata pops head up, eyes wide: She's the one who created Malena Hernandez?!

Maia smiling: Uh-huh. Malena Hernandez, the first girl to EVER whip the butts of all four aces of Kanagawa!

Harle nods: Uh-huh! And the first girl to actually elicit feelings from Iceberg Rukawa!

Chibi-Rukawa pops up from out of nowhere in kitsune form: I heard that…

Maia spots kitsune Chibi-Rukawa, goes into chibi mode herself, and chases after him: KAWAAAAAAAIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Chibi-Rukawa gulps, and runs off, Chibi-Maia hot on his heels: …!!!!

Harle sweatdrops: Eheheh… Anyway, on to the next part of the fic…


	3. Chapter Two: Adjusting to a New Life

Chapter Two: Adjusting to a New Life 

Sumire sighed as she settled down in her seat, trying to ignore the stares she was getting from the other people in the class. _Damn, why do these people have to STARE?!?!?! Don't they know how unnerving it can get?! It's starting to creep me out big time…_ She sighed, and stared out the window instead. _I wish I were with Toru-kun right about now…_

She sensed movement in front of the classroom, and straightened up just in time to see the teacher walk into the classroom. Almost instantly, the noise in the room died down to nothing, and the teacher began the roll call.

Sumire didn't listen for the most part, since her thoughts were elsewhere. _I wonder if they have a girl's basketball team here? _She had been on her school's varsity team since her sophomore year, and though she wasn't exactly the best player, she did get to see quite a bit of court action. She wanted to continue that particular sport of hers, even if she was here in Japan.

Just then, the teacher spoke up. "Class, we have a new student joining us today, Miss Hanagata Sumire Rowena. Hanagata, please come forward."

Sumire huffed, and stood up slowly, trying to appear as poised and as in-control as possible. _I can do this, they won't eat me… _She stood on the platform, in front of the class, and bowed. "Ohayo!! I am Hanagata Sumire Rowena, but you can all just call me Sumire. I am sixteen years old, and I came from the Philippines to study here in Shoyo with my cousin."

Silence, then one of the female students piped up, "Anou, is your cousin Hanagata Toru-sempai?"

Sumire smiled, relieved that they knew who her cousin was. "Hai, he is."

There was suddenly a flurry of whispers among the females, and it took several raps on the blackboard until they all managed to calm down. "Alright, settle down!" exclaimed the sensei. Turning to Sumire, he said, "Hanagata, you may go back to your seat."

Sumire bowed to the teacher, and made her way back to her chair, ignoring some of the stares she earned as she did so. As she sat down, she closed her eyes momentarily to focus. _I'm going to be okay… I will survive this. I know how to speak in Nihongo, and I know how to speak in English. At least I have an edge over these guys when it comes to THAT. And I've taken up all this stuff before… No worries, no worries…_

*        *        *

Fujima sighed as he slumped onto the bench, staring at the piece of paper he held in his hands. _I wonder whether I should put this up or not…_ In his hands he held the announcement that Team Shoyo was looking for anyone who wanted the position of manager of their team. 

"Fujima-sempai, are you okay?"

Fujima glanced up, and grinned when he noticed Ito staring at him with a concerned look on his face. "Hai, hai, Ito, I'm just fine. I'm just thinking about whether I should post this up or not." As he spoke, he passed the notice to Ito, who looked over it twice.

Ito grinned. "I don't think you should be worried about this, Fujima-sempai. It will make life easier for you, ne?"

"I suppose so," Fujima answered with a conceding nod. "But why didn't I think of this earlier? It would have been less stressful if I had thought of this sooner."

"TORU-KUN!!!!"

Fujima's head looked up, as did the rest of Team Shoyo, to watch as Hanagata and Sumire entered the gym. Hanagata was laughing as he held a piece of paper up in the air, which Sumire was trying to snatch back from him – with very little success.

Hanagata was laughing his head off as he danced away from Sumire, who was still struggling quite futilely to get it back. "Come on Mire-chan, I don't see anything wrong with this picture! You're very pretty, actually!"

Sumire growled, and jumped one more time to get the picture back. "Yeah right! I look like a walking DOLL, for heaven's sake!!! And one more thing: that guy with his arm around me is NOT MY BOYFRIEND!!!!!!!!! He's just some JERK I met at the party!!!!"

"Honto? You two look pretty cozy to me…"

"SHUT UP!!!!!!! The baka had a crush on me or something! He practically hounded me the entire night!!! The only reason I couldn't slap him in the face for being such a jerk was because it was a formal gathering, his parents were there, AND he happened to be a good friend of my cousin's!! Otherwise I'd have drop-kicked him in the face!!!!!!"

"With a gown like THIS, I suppose it isn't easy for ANY guy to stay away from you."

Sumire snarled this time, and attempted to tackle her older cousin to the floor. She only managed to pin Hanagata on the bench, but that seemed good enough for her. With a triumphant smile, she reached for the photo…but Hanagata was able to pass it over to Fujima.

Fujima grinned as Sumire stared at him, aghast, then turned his attention to the photo. It seemed to be at some formal event or other, because all the girls in the picture were wearing gowns, and the guys were wearing tuxedos. Sumire herself was in the middle of the picture, her hair swept on top of her head in an up-do, little tendrils of hair just brushing against her cheeks. Her gown was a pale baby blue, and glittered with multitudes of beads and sequins. The gown had a stylish tube top cut, and Sumire's bare arms were covered in a thin filmy shawl of the same color as the gown. "Sumire-san, I have to think that Hanagata is right. You DO look very pretty here."

Sumire huffed, and rolled her eyes. "I still think my look is over-the-top. And that's the reason why I hate going to formal dinner parties and the like. All that makeup and primping…God, it's ANNOYING!!!"

Hanagata laughed as he got up, and took the picture from Fujima. "That's what I'm scared of, you know? You're acting like a tomboy."

"TOMBOY?!?!?!?! That's it Toru-kun, I've had it up to HERE with you!!!! Today, you DIE!!!!!!!!!!"

Hasegawa attempted to unsuccessfully stifle a snicker as Sumire chased a still-laughing Toru around the court. "Well, at least Hanagata-sempai is getting warmed-up." 

Nagano shook his head. "Who's the girl, Fujima-sempai?"

"She's Sumire Rowena, Hanagata's cousin," Fujima answered. "She came here recently from the Philippines to study."

"A freshman?" inquired Tagano.

"Hai."

"They seem like they're very close," Hasegawa observed.

Fujima snickered. "If this isn't an indication of that, I don't know what is."

Suddenly, Ito piped up, "She's pretty."

That made Fujima laugh out loud, and he turned to his kohai, a mischievous smile on his face. "Honto, Ito? Should I tell Sumire-san you said that?"

The rest of the team roared with laughter as a blushing Ito started to mumble something about Fujima not having to do that. Fujima just laughed along with them, waiting for Hanagata and Sumire to stop their chasing each other round and round the court.

When they finally managed to do so, Fujima stood up, and nodded towards the court. "Alright, everyone, get practicing! The Inter-High starts in a few months, and we have to be in the best shape possible! Remember, we're second rank in the prefecture, but this year, we're going to be Number One!" A small smile curled on his lips. "We're going to take Kainan down."

This was met with a roar of approval from the rest of Team Shoyo, and they proceeded with the practice.

Smiling satisfactorily, Fujima sat down again to watch the practice. When he looked around for the copy of the notice, however, he realized that it was gone. _Nani? _He looked up, and noticed Sumire holding the copy in her hand, looking at it with a smile on her face.

Fujima was puzzled. _Why would she be smiling? _

*        *        *

Sumire couldn't help but grin when she read the notice. _So they're looking for a manager, eh? I wonder…_ She turned to Fujima, and he looked back at her. 

She smiled. "So you're looking for a manager?"

Fujima nodded. "Hai." He eyed her momentarily, then grinned. "What are your qualifications?"

Sumire shrugged. "Well, I was in the varsity team of my school for two years, and I got to see a bit of court action during that time. We were also trained to manage the team in case of the absence of the moderator who usually handled us, and since I wasn't really a very talented player, I ended up with doing most of the managing."

Fujima tilted his head a little. "Not a talented player?"

Sumire nodded. "I only tried basketball cause Toru-kun seemed to be having so much fun playing it, so I thought, 'Hey, why not give it a try?'. Then I started playing, and…it went on from there." She grinned bashfully as she lowered her gaze. "I'm not really that good a player, though. I'm not tall enough to be a center or a forward, I'm not fast enough to be a point guard, and my shots are not accurate enough to allow me to play as shooting guard. So most of the time I'm stuck on the bench as a pinch hitter."

Fujima grinned, and shrugged. "Well, if you're going to be a part of this team, then the rest of us can help you, ne?"

Sumire glanced up at him, her eyes wide. _Does that mean…? _"I'm in?"

Fujima chuckled, and nodded. "Hai, that's right. Welcome to Shoyo Basketball Club, Sumire-san."

AUTHOR'S OOC: 

Harle cackles: Hoo-yeah, first steps towards the romance…and then the LEMON!!!!

Chibi-Ito frowns: Why did I have to be the one who gets the crush on her?

Harle nods: Think of it as a compliment. I used you because you were the third cutest member on the team, with Fujima-kun getting first place, and Toru-kun snagging second. What, you wanted me to use Tagano?! PLEASE!!! I don't want to kill Sumire yet.

Chibi-Tagano sniffles: That hurt!!!

Harle shrugs: Sorry, all's fair in love and fiction.

Chibi-Fujima eyes topmost sentence suspiciously: What's this I read about a lemon?

Maia grins evilly: Oh, THAT!!!! Well, Harle and I have cooked up a little something for you and Sumire, and, well…

Maia and Harle promptly dissolve into evil cackles and giggles

Chibi-Sumire eyes the authors with a frightened look: Umm… I don't like the looks of that.

Chibi-Rukawa nods: Believe me, authors are dangerous when they're like that. I should know.

Harle waves off Chibi-Rukawa's comment: Anyway, perhaps we should keep this little fic moving, eh? continues to cackle and snicker with Maia


	4. Chapter Three: Flickers and Flames

Chapter Three: Flickers and Flames 

And so it went. Sumire was starting to settle in pretty well in Shoyo, especially given the fact that was she had been through almost everything before. Her grades were soaring right through the roof. She had earned the respect of her teachers and peers, and the guys loved her. She was looked upon as something of a heartthrob among the freshmen, more for her intelligence than for her beauty.

But her true friends were the players of the Shoyo Basketball Club. As the new manager, she hung out in the gym with them after classes, keeping track of the records and all that. She and Fujima had become very close, since their work was closely tied together, and because Sumire rather liked the Captain and Coach of Team Shoyo.

_He isn't like most other guys, _she mused as she continued to scribble down statistics while she watched Fujima play with his teammates. _He's so friendly and nice, and most of all, he doesn't have an ego. Too many guys are like that. Even Toru-kun has an ego. But not Fujima-sempai. No, he's not like them at all. _

Earlier that day, Toru came down with a horrid case of the flu. His temperature was up by several degrees, and, according to him, his head ached like someone had bashed a backboard on it. Sumire offered to skip school to take care of him, but he just waved her off…

~       ~       ~

Toru attempted to grin at her from his bed, even though his face didn't look too good. "Don't worry about me, Mire-chan, I'll be okay on my own. This isn't the first time this has happened."

Sumire winced when Toru sneezed. "I don't know… You don't look like you can stay here alone…"

"I'll be perfectly alright, Mire-chan. Just think about school for the meantime. Your exams are coming up soon, ne? Well you can't miss a single day at school. That'll make you lose your edge in class."

"I KNOW almost everything already, Toru-kun," Sumire pointed out. "What's one missed day to me?"

Toru sighed. "Mire-chan, just GO, okay? I'll be alright by myself. Trust me."

Sumire rolled her eyes, and turned to the door. "Well, if you're going to be stubborn about it, then fine, I'll go." She glanced back at him, and smiled slightly. "You want me to go to Fujima-sempai and ask him for your homework?"

"Hai, that would be a great help," Toru answered. "Arigatou, Mire-chan. Take care of yourself!!"

"Hai!"

~       ~       ~

And so it was that Sumire went to school by herself, where in other cases Toru would have gone with her. She met up with Fujima that morning, as she was about to enter the school gate…

~       ~       ~

"Oi, Sumire!"

_Huh? _Sumire turned around, and watched as Fujima came walking up to her. _Fujima-sempai? _

Fujima smiled slightly at her in greeting. "Ohayo, Sumire. Where's Toru?"

"Toru-kun is at home, sick with the flu," Sumire answered as she and Fujima started walking together towards school. "He wanted me to ask you to take down all the homework you would get today, then to give it to me so he could look it over when I came home."

Fujima nodded. "Hai, I would've done that even if you didn't tell me…" He glanced at her then, worry seeming to cloud his eyes a little. "But if your cousin is sick, how are you going to get home?"

Sumire laughed. "Fujima-sempai, I'm not exactly disabled, am I? I can walk home."

"That's not what I meant," Fujima said. "Do you really plan to walk home by yourself? In the dark?"

Sumire fell silent then. _That's the exact same thing Toru-kun said when… _"I don't know. Maybe I will."

Fujima grinned then, and gently nudged her with his elbow. "I'll walk you home, if that's alright with you."

Sumire immediately looked up at him, eyes wide. "Nani? Demo, Fujima-sempai, you live all the way on the other side! You don't have to take the long way around!"

"It's nothing to worry about," Fujima said with a shrug. "Aside from the fact that Toru would slaughter me if I didn't, I just don't like the idea of you walking by yourself at night. If something happened to you it'd weight down on my conscience for the rest of my life."

Sumire stared at him for a moment, at the determined look on his face that seemed akin to the one she had seen during her first day in school. "Well, okay, if you say so…"

~       ~       ~

"Ja ne, Sumire-san! Give my regards to Hanagata-sempai!"

Sumire smiled at Nagano, and waved back. "Ja, Nagano-sempai! See you tomorrow!"

Beside her, Fujima grinned as he wiped off his sweat with a towel. "That was a good practice." He turned to her then. "So, what are the stats?"

Sumire leaned back from her chair so that Fujima had better access to the statistics she had recorded. "Everyone seems to be getting better and better," she said as she stretched her back to relieve some of the tension that had built up from sitting for too long. 

Fujima read over the stats, and a smile slowly suffused on his face. "Hmm, this is good. The way we're going, we could be a formidable force by the time the Inter-High rolls around."

Sumire nodded, and smiled. "Hai. That's a very good sign."

Fujima sighed then, and stretched. "Well anyway, I'm going to take a shower and change. Then I'll walk you home."

Sumire grinned then, and waved her hand towards the locker room. "Go on ahead, Fujima-sempai, take your time. I'll just be waiting for you here."

*        *        *

Fujima stepped out of the shower, feeling refreshed and clean again after a long hard afternoon of basketball practice. He smiled as he toweled himself off, and put on a fresh pair of pants and a clean shirt. _That felt good…_

But what felt even better was the fact that he had less to think about nowadays. With the burden of being the manager taken off his shoulders, he could now think about what was most important and where he excelled: playing and coaching. _And I have Sumire to thank for that. _

In spite of her tendency to belittle her own abilities, Sumire made an excellent manager, having a sense of order and time management that was so crucial to that position. Her methods of record keeping were impeccable, and Fujima had yet to find fault in them. It had only been a month, and already she had proven to be a valuable asset to the team, though she might not have played on the court. She had spared him a LOT of headaches already.

Not only that, she was also an optimist, always encouraging the players and telling them to keep their chins up. She was a funny girl too, using her sense of humor to bring more life to what would otherwise be another mundane practice. Things were never boring when Sumire was around, from the chasing of Toru round the court to the teasing that she and Ito were an item already.

And there was something else that, so far, only Fujima seemed to know about: the intuitive sense that allowed Sumire to say when things were going wrong or if someone felt bad. Fujima often found himself on the questioning end of Sumire's "What's wrong?" or "Are you okay?", and he had to admit, she was always right on target. When he wouldn't say anything, she would smirk, and say, "Don't think about her, she doesn't love you yet."

_She always seems able to make me smile, _Fujima thought with amusement, even as he felt an actual smile tug at the edges of his mouth. _Even thinking about her is enough to make me smile. _

He had just finished packing up his things, and he walked onto the court, searching out Sumire.

THUMP, THUMP, THUMP!!!

WHANG!!!!

"Aw man, missed again!"

Fujima turned, and noticed that Sumire was standing beneath one of the goals, right on the free throw line. She was dribbling the ball, and eyeing the ring the way a tiger would eye a rabbit or some other potential food item. He watched as she took the ball into her hands, and jumped, throwing the ball upwards towards the ring. Unfortunately, the ball came too short, and instead bounced off the edge of the ring.

Sumire scowled, and went over to retrieve the ball.

It was then that Fujima chose to speak. "You should bend your knees a little more."

Sumire looked up, and laughed a little when she saw him, her cheeks suddenly flushing red. "Oh, Fujima-sempai! You got to see that? Oh jeez, that's embarrassing…"

"No it wasn't," Fujima reassured her as he dropped his bag and approached her, a smile on his face. "We all have to start somewhere, ne?"

Sumire laughed again, and the blush deepened. "I know, but isn't it pathetic that I can't get a simple jump shot right?"

"Why don't I help you a little then?" Fujima suggested with a grin.

Sumire stared at him as though he had just asked her to do the impossible. "You? Help me? Are you sure about this Fujima-sempai?"

Fujima shrugged. "Why not? I don't see anything wrong with that." He tilted his head slightly, amused at her reaction. "So, shall we get to it?"

Sumire gazed at him for a while longer, and then she grinned. "Fine, show me how it's done!"

Fujima laughed, amazed at the amount of spirit and candidness this one little girl displayed. _If only my team had the same spirit, then maybe we'd be the best team in Kanagawa, no holds barred. _He stood to the side to observe her profile. "Bend your knees more, that'll help you make a higher jump."

Sumire obeyed his promptings. "This enough?"

"Yeah, that's good. Now, the arms. Move them up just a little more…higher…a bit lower…there, you got it! Now, when you jump, both your feet should leave the ground at the same time. Your balance will be thrown off if you let one foot remain on the floor while the other goes up, and that will affect the accuracy of your shot. And when you shoot, the movement in the arms should be smooth and easy. Don't force it; if it's jerky, then it will most likely fall short of the ring or move off to the side. Relax and it will come to you."

"Hai," Sumire answered quietly as she followed his instructions. After a few seconds, she jumped, and shot. The ball sailed through the air, and went clean through the ring without touching the edge.

Fujima smiled broadly, and clapped. "Sugoi, Sumire! That was pretty good."

There was a look of happiness and exhilaration on her face, but it was tempered somewhat. "Let me try that one more time…it might've just been a lucky shot…I want to see if I can do it twice in a row."

"There was nothing lucky about that shot, Sumire," Fujima told her, though he did pass her the ball. 

Sumire caught the ball, and prepared herself again. She jumped up, and threw the ball. It arced up smoothly, and bounced off the back rim of the ring before it fell through. She stared at the shot for a while, then started jumping up and down in jubilation. "I DID IT!! I DID IT!!!"

Fujima grinned, watching her with a hint of pride on his face. But then, she came bounding up to him, and the next thing he knew, Sumire was in his arms, her own wrapped around his waist, hugging him tightly. _Na-nani? _

"Arigatou, Fujima-sempai," Sumire whispered to him. "Thank you very much. I don't know how I could've done it without you."

Fujima laughed half-heartedly as he returned her embrace. "It was nothing, Sumire. Nothing at all." It was then that it hit him: her scent. _She smells like vanilla and nutmeg… _She had always smelled that way, he knew, but this was the first time he had ever taken notice of it. Like it was the first time that he noticed how soft her hair was, how it smelled like the same vanilla and nutmeg smell she had all over her but with hints of lilac and violet, and just how slim her waist was…

Sumire pulled away from him then, and it took a conscious effort on his part to loosen his grip on her waist. She grinned up at him then, and there was a blush on her cheeks. "Gomen nasai, Fujima-sempai. I'm always so emotional…a fault of mine that nothing can cure. Sorry."

"Iie, it was nothing, Sumire," Fujima replied, schooling his features into something that closely resembled nonchalance while at the same time attempting to keep his voice as neutral as possible. He grinned as he went over to pick up his bag from where he left it on the gym floor. "It's pretty late. Your cousin will worry if you don't come home soon. Are you ready?"

Sumire smiled brightly at him then, and Fujima's mind immediately created a mental picture of that smile, stowing it away in the depths of memory. "Hai! Let's go!"

AUTHOR'S OOC: 

Harle sighs: I can smell the hints of a developing romance here…

Maia giggles: Yeah, you can smell it from a MILE away!!!! And what a cute pairing it is!!!

Chibi-Fujima looks rather cross: You two are like bloodhounds.

Harle twitches eyebrow slightly: Well you can't complain like that. YOU managed to know what exactly Sumire smelled like, and all in the course of one hug!!

Chibi-Fujima features frighteningly neutral, voice in an even monotone: You were the one writing that.

Maia gapes, and shivers: He's starting to act like Rukawa… Creepy!!!!

Harle nods: Yeah, creepy…

Chibi-Ayako evil grin on her face: All he needs is a good whack to the head… brings out paper tessen, and swings

WHACK!!!

Chibi-Fujima rubbing head: ITAI!!!!! Now I know how Sakuragi feels when he gets hit with that thing…

Chibi-Ayako sweetly: Want another go at it?

Chibi-Fujima backs away: Err…no thanks.  
  


Harle grins: I'm so glad my chibis are getting along well.. Anyway, let's get this show on the road again people!!


	5. Chapter Four: My Best Friend's Crush

Chapter Four: My Best Friend's Crush 

Toru was the first to notice it. 

He frowned as he watched Fujima and Sumire from out of the corner of his eye. _What is up with the two of them? _It had been three months since Sumire had joined as manager, and as far as he could tell from her, everything was going smoothly. It gave him a sense of security to have his cousin under his watch most of the time, and the fact that she seemed to be very happy with her job as manager was more than he could have ever hoped for. 

But now he noticed that there was something going on with his best friend. It seemed like Fujima couldn't tear his eyes off Sumire. Toru always caught him sneaking glances at the girl while she worked on recording statistics just an arm's length away from him. Even when Fujima played on the court, he would invariably flick his eyes to Sumire, linger on her for a moment, and then return to the game at hand. It was strange, extremely so.

Toru always wanted to confront his best friend about his odd behavior, but something always held him back. He didn't know why, but there was a certain unwillingness in him to question what was going on. _At the very least, Mire-chan hasn't mentioned or hinted at anything about Fujima yet, but still… There's something really weird going on here, and I think that I should find out. _

Soon, the whole team had noticed it too. First was Ito, then Nagano, then Hasegawa, and finally Tagano. And apparently, they were a bit worried about their captain-slash-coach's sudden interest in their manager.

"He keeps on staring at her, as though he couldn't get enough of her," Nagano said when they had a rare moment of solitude in the locker room, since Fujima remained behind with Sumire to look over the statistics of the day.

Ito nodded. "If I didn't know any better, I would say that he had a crush on her."

Toru looked up, a flash of insight striking him out of the blue. _Of course! How could've I been so stupid?!?! _"You know what Ito, I think you're right."

Hasegawa blinked in surprise. "Nani? Do you really think so, Hanagata-sempai?"

"Demo…aren't you going to do something about it?" Tagano asked. "I mean, Sumire-san is like a little sister to you… Aren't you going to interfere?"

"I don't see the need…yet," Toru answered softly. "I suppose that this is entirely Mire-chan's decision. Though I might find the need to get between them if it only does more harm than good to either of them. Fujima's being my best friend might help him should he want to court Mire-chan, but it can also work against him in certain cases. Just because he is my best friend doesn't mean that I will willingly let him do what he pleases with my cousin. As they say in the West, 'Blood is thicker than water'."

The meeting was immediately broken up when Fujima entered the locker room. He blinked when he saw the little gathering. "Nani? What's going on? What are you guys talking about?"

The team members stared at each other for a moment, until Ito managed to quickly cover up and say, "Ah, we were just talking about that new player in Shohoku, Fujima-sempai!! The one named Rukawa Kaede! The rumors claim that he's absolutely brilliant, and that, in spite of his being a freshman, he's already in the starting lineup!!"

Toru sighed with relief. _Great cover-up Ito. I owe you a big favor now…_

*        *        *

"Fujima, we have to talk."

Fujima turned to Toru then, puzzled at the strange tone in his best friend's voice. "Nani? About what?"

Toru seemed to wait until the rest of the team had filed out of the locker room, before he began, "I just noticed something weird about you lately, Kenji." He paused, peering down at him with an almost interrogating gaze. "Kenji, is there something going on between you and Mire-chan?"

Fujima gulped involuntarily then. _Kuso, he knows!!! _He wasn't the kind of guy who was easily intimidated, even when he faced up to the taller players on the court. He knew how to keep his cool. But there were certain things that made him nervous – and one of those things was his slowly budding romantic affection for his best friend's cousin-slash-pseudo-sister.

He tried to maintain his cool. He stared at Toru straight in the eye, and answered, "What about it?"

Toru sighed, and sat down on one of the benches in the locker room. "Nothing, really. I just wanted to prove my suspicions true." He glanced at Fujima then, and grinned. "So what was it about Mire-chan that got to you, eh? Come on, tell me! I'm not your best friend for nothing, ne?"

Fujima laughed, and sat down opposite Toru. "I can't really explain what happened," he replied. "It just hit me one day. You remember that time three months ago, when you were sick at home with the flu and Sumire had to come to school alone?"

Toru nodded. "Hai, I remember. I also remember that YOU were the one who walked her home. And since I haven't thanked you for that yet, I'm going to say it now: arigatou."

"Iie, it was nothing. Anyway, as I was saying, Sumire and I stayed behind a while because I caught her practicing jump shots. I helped her a little with that, and to thank me, she…she hugged me."

A slow smile appeared on Toru's face. "Hai, Mire-chan's like that. She's very…expressive of what she feels, though there are times when she tends to hide them, especially if she's unsure of them."

Fujima nodded. "Hai."

"Are you going to court her?"

"Maybe."

Toru laughed then, and stood up, heading towards the door. "Well then, all I can say is, 'ganbatte'! I think you're going to need it."

Fujima jerked his head up to look at his best friend. "Does that mean you will…"

"Interfere? Maybe, but only if I see that it's just hurting either you or her. Otherwise, I guess that I'll have to let Mire-chan do the deciding." He turned to him then, a huge grin on his face. "Oh yeah, and just one piece of advice: Mire-chan's got this romantic image in her head. If you want to win her, you're going to have to be especially romantic about it: the whole roses-and-chocolate-and-chivalry bit. Work with that, and maybe by autumn I can expect to see the two of you together!"

Fujima hurled a towel at Toru's retreating back, though he was laughing. "Wonderful advice, Hanagata!" He grinned to himself in spite of that. _Romantic? Maybe I just have to wait a little more…give it some more time…and maybe, maybe…_

"Ja ne, Fujima-sempai! Toru-kun and I will be going home now!"

Fujima smiled, and called back, "Ja, Sumire!!"

*        *        *

Sumire blinked with surprise at the question her cousin posed to her. "Nani? Could you repeat that again, Toru-kun?"

Toru looked up at her from his bowl of rice. "I said, what would you do if someone on the team started courting you."

Sumire was silent for a moment, thoughtfully chewing on a piece of sushi. After a while, she swallowed, and spoke. "I wouldn't really know. After all, I haven't even been courted at anytime in my life, so I wouldn't know a suitor even if he danced naked in front of me."

That made Toru splutter with laughter, but he controlled himself, and nodded for Sumire to continue.

"As I was saying, my knowledge about this is nil, and I wouldn't know how to act." She raised her eyebrow then. "Why are you asking this, by the way? Does someone on the team REALLY intend to court me?"

Toru shrugged. "I suppose so. I've been seeing signs from one of the members – whose identity I will not reveal – and the guy seems pretty much enamored of you. Ready to drop down on his knees and worship you, even."

Sumire laughed. _This is ridiculous, _she thought. "Oh Toru-kun, don't say that! No one will go to that extreme no matter how much he might like me."

"Let's just wait and see, Mire-chan. Wait and see."

AUTHOR'S OOC: 

Harle beams: Ooh-la-la!!! This is FUN!!!

Maia nods head vigorously: Hai, hai!!

Chibi-Sumire small smile curls on lips: Drop down on his knees and worship? Me? I hope you really plan to do that!!

Chibi-Fujima frowns: NO WAY!!!!!

Chibi-Toru rolls eyes and shakes head: I always knew you had a megalomaniac complex, Mire-chan…

Chibi-Sumire evil grin: Women were born to rule the world! Men were born to serve us! 

Maia gulps: She's got a feminist-Nazi thing going… Harle!!! Knock some sense into her!!

Harle nods: Hai! raises hand, and a blast of lightning strikes Chibi-Sumire That should do. In the meantime, let us move on with the story!!!


	6. Chapter Five: Secret Admirer

Chapter Five: Secret Admirer 

Spring was fading away quickly, was being replaced by the hot sunshine of summer. It had been four months since Sumire first studied at Shoyo, and things were going well for her. The Inter-Highs had already started, though Team Shoyo hadn't seen any action yet. Yet. They would soon be having a match against Takezato High, and that would be that Friday. That forced the team into a flurry of action, trying to practice as hard as they could, practices that sometimes lasted well into the night on weekends. 

But that wasn't what occupied Sumire's mind most of the time while she was on the court. It was the puzzle that Toru had presented to her a month ago. _I wonder who could that guy be, _she wondered as she walked down the school halls of the freshman wing, heading towards her locker. 

Ever since Toru had mentioned that to her, she had always attempted to figure out just who was the "suitor" that he spoke about. She had closely observed the guys all the time, trying to see anything that she could vaguely link to a guy who was trying to court her. However, all things taken in consideration, she couldn't tell whether one of the guys of the team really DID plan to court her since she had NEVER encountered that before. Like she told her cousin, she wouldn't know a suitor even if he danced naked in front of her. 

She blushed slightly at the thought of that. Of course, maybe she WOULD recognize a suitor if he danced naked in front of her, but that was just an analogy. That would NEVER happen in real life.

She shook her head as she opened her locker. _Jeez Sumire, you're letting all of this go to your head. You should focus on other things, like your schoolwork that is just too plain easy and your job as manager._ She pulled her locker door open, and felt her eyes slowly widen at what she saw.

Three white tulips – her favorite flowers in her favorite color for that flower – were placed in a diagonal angle inside her locker, tied together with a white ribbon. To this was attached a plain card with no decoration on it.

_Nani? How did it get in my locker? _Sumire slowly took out the flowers from the locker, and flipped open the card. It read:

_Sumire,_

_Tulips are for good luck, ne? I hope that you have good luck today, Sumire. Ja!_

_~ Your Admirer_

"Sumire-chan, what's that?"

Sumire nearly jumped, and turned to see Ayame, Reiko and Yuki, her closest friends in her class. "Ah, minna, you surprised me!"

Yuki nodded towards the flowers. "Where did you get them, Sumire-chan?"

"Oh, these? I found them in my locker."

Ayame's eyes narrowed. "Demo, that's impossible! How could have someone gotten access to your locker if they didn't know the combination?" The lockers that were used in Shoyo had the safe-type locks.

"Toru-kun knows my locker combination," Sumire said quietly. "Maybe he gave it to this so-called secret admirer of mine."

Reiko laughed then as they headed towards their classroom. "Do you think that Hanagata-sempai is setting you up with someone?"

"I believe so," Sumire said with an amused nod. "I don't know what's going on with Toru-kun. He seems a little…eager to pair me off with this mystery person. If I didn't know any better I'd have to say that he was trying to set me up with Fujima-sempai!!"

This drew sighs and blushes from her companions. "I wouldn't really mind that," Reiko said quietly. "Fujima-sempai is VERY good-looking. Almost half the girls in this school have crushes on him!"

Sumire had to laugh in agreement as she sat down in her seat. "If there is something I learned from my friends in the Philippines, it is that we should NEVER judge a guy by his looks. There's a saying that goes: 'Look for an ugly boy, because you won't have problems with him'."

Reiko, Yuki and Ayame laughed then. "Is that practical advice?" Reiko asked between fits of giggles.

"I suppose so. Some of my friends in the Philippines have boyfriends who are not really that handsome, but they're extremely nice to their girlfriends, and my friends don't have to worry about their boyfriends being less than loyal to them," Sumire answered with a shrug. "I suppose that having a boyfriend who is both handsome and faithful is a wonderful thing, but since the world doesn't work that way, I guess that it's something we have to learn to deal with."

"Or," Ayame added with a smirk, "we can learn to live without boyfriends at all. Happily single, ne?"

That earned much laughter on their group's part, which immediately dissolved into silence when the teacher walked into the classroom. They broke up to go to their individual seats, and the rest of the day proceeded like usual, but with the prime exception that Sumire's mind was elsewhere, and that she was constantly fingering the stems of the tulips that had made a mysterious appearance in her locker that morning.

*        *        *

"TORU-KUN!!! You have a LOT of explaining to do right around now!!!"

Toru turned to the entrance of the gym in time to see Sumire come stomping over to him, something white and green clutched in her hand. "Nani? You seem all in a tizzy today, Mire-chan." _More so than usual, actually._

His little cousin's voice was so calm it was frightening. "Did you give my locker combination away to someone, Toru-kun? Like, say, that secret admirer you keep telling me about?"

_Huh? _"Why, what happened Mire-chan?"

"THIS happened." With that, Sumire brought out a small bouquet of white tulips, still quite fresh, though the leaves were starting to droop a little already. "I found these INSIDE my locker. Now, since no one but you and I know WHAT my locker combination is, I am beginning to think that YOU gave away the combination to someone else, otherwise known as my secret admirer."

Toru snickered. In some perverse corner of his mind, he liked seeing Sumire in the state she was in right then. He loved it when she was all in a huff about something that she didn't know about or had no idea of. "Hmmm…what if I did?"

He was surprised when Sumire's shoulders slumped forward, and she calmed down considerably. "Oh? Okay then." With that, she walked off, and sat down at her table.

_What was that about, _Toru wondered as he stared at Sumire. He was expecting something a little more violent than that, like her trying to tackle him to the floor in spite of his obvious height and strength advantage. _It's like she suddenly mellowed out or something…_

Of course, he hadn't lied when he said that he gave away her locker combination to someone. In fact, that "someone" happened to be sitting right beside Sumire as of the moment, like always, chatting with her as usual, and even going so far as to tease her about the tulips.

_Good call with the tulips, though, _Toru thought then. _I never told Fujima that Sumire's favorite flowers were tulips. Smart of him. Maybe he thought roses weren't really Sumire's kind of thing… _Which, in truth, were not. Sumire found them too delicate, having the same opinion for white lilies. And that was the LAST impression she wanted to leave with other people. She might have looked like a fragile doll in certain cases, but she was certainly NOT like that. And that was why she gave preference to such flowers as the tulip, the tiger lily, the daisy, the hibiscus, and all manner of tropical orchids.

However, what truly amused Toru to no end was the fact that Sumire still had no idea about what was going on. _She's as in the dark as I expected her to be. _Sumire was a smart girl in her own right, but strangely enough, she hadn't figured out anything yet, even when Fujima was becoming less and less discreet about his affection for her.

Just then, Fujima signaled for all of them to gather together, and Toru moved closer, knowing that their coach and captain had news for them.

"The Inter-Highs start this Friday," Fujima said, his voice quite calm, but his eyes showed the excitement he tried to keep from bubbling to the surface. "And according to the stats, which Sumire has been so carefully recording for us," he glanced with a smile at Sumire, "we stand ready to sweep any team that dares to stand in our way. Of course, the true test of our strength will be our match against Kainan, but until then, no other team will be able to stand against us.

"However, I do not want this to be a reason for all of you to start slacking. Rather, I want this to give you more motivation to strive harder and train more. We can be Number One this year…but only if we do our best."

Toru grinned at his best friend. _And that's just one of the many things I truly envy about Fujima. Aside from his inherent talent in the game, he certainly knows what to say to get people motivated. _He chuckled to himself as a strange thought entered his head. _With that kind of charisma, he could get into politics with no trouble at all! _

Practice began then, and surprisingly, Fujima decided to join up with them. _No matter, _Toru thought. As Fujima jogged up to him, he grinned at his rather diminutive captain. "It seems like you got Mire-chan's attention there. It was amazing how you figured out the thing with the tulips. I never told you that those were one of her favorite flowers."

Fujima chuckled, though his face DID turn an interesting shade of red. "I know. She told me everything. It's funny, how I have to hear everything as though I had no part in it. Actually, it was pretty hard trying to cover everything up." He glanced at her momentarily. "I hope I didn't hurt her feelings or anything. I was teasing her quite a bit about the flowers to cover up…"

"She'll get over it," Toru answered with a shrug. "One of the things I admire about Mire-chan is that she has a tough hide. I don't know HOW it goes in the schools in the Philippines, but whatever the case may be, she came out of it with a strong resistance to teasing and backstabbing. All the better, I think."

Fujima sighed. "Hai, I know. It still makes me wonder though…" He grinned. "There are a lot of secrets to your cousin, Toru."

"Fine then, it's your job to unravel them."

"I'll need a lot of luck on that one, though…"

"The way Mire-chan's acting, it shouldn't be too long till you do."

AUTHOR'S OOC: 

Harle sighs: And so it continues…

Chibi-Fujima looks puzzled: What's that about the schools in the Philippines?

Maia laughs: Oh THAT!! Well, in the Philippines, school, even in the elementary levels, is vicious and competitive. Everyone is trying to drag down everybody else. This gives rise to backstabbers and a well-oiled rumor mill. True friends tend to be very rare, and when you do find them, you tend to lose them just as quickly too, cause you're separated in one way or another. Studying in the Philippines not only means graduating early, but also getting out with a thick hide.

Harle nods: Hai, hai, that's very true. The smarter you are, the more people want to tear you apart. The prettier you are, the higher you climb in the "social ladder". That is SO not good. I mean, the only asset I have is my BRAIN, for crying out loud!!!! Does it mean that if I'm not pretty I can NEVER make it through school?!?!?!

Chibi-Sumire attempts to calm down a ranting Harle: Maa, maa Harle-sama!! No need to get all worked up!

Maia sighs: Anyway, since my friend seems a little…incapable, let's go on to the next chapter, ne?


	7. Chapter Six: Popping the Secret... Almos...

Chapter Six: Popping the Secret…Almost 

Sumire sighed as she sat down at the table, looking at the brightly polished floor of the gym of Takezato High, where the game between Shoyo and Takezato would be taking place. This was the first official game that she would be attending as the manager of Shoyo, and she had to admit that the whole thing made her nervous.

_Just breathe, Sumire, relax, _she told herself. _You're not going to be playing out there. You're just going to be watching them all play and record as much as you can about your observations of Shoyo's team and Takezato's. _But still, the anxiety was still there, mostly because she felt nervous FOR them: for Ito and Hasegawa and Nagano and Tagano, but most especially for Toru and Fujima. 

Toru came up to her then, smiling when he noticed the slight tension in her shoulders. "Oi Mire-chan, relax, okay? You aren't going to be playing, you know. You shouldn't be so uptight."

Sumire laughed at her cousin's comment. "I know. Demo, I feel nervous for you guys. I know that you're in the best shape you can possibly be and all that, but still… Things can happen out there."

"Hai, but we can't exactly plan everything down to the last detail, ne," Toru said with a cheerful shrug. 

Sumire sighed. "I know." Toru was called back then by Fujima for a few last-minute pointers, and then the group headed out towards the middle of the gym. The starting lineup consisted of Fujima, Toru, Hasegawa, Nagano and Tagano. She smiled, and yelled, "Ganbatte, minna!!"

The team turned to her, and acknowledged what she had said with smiles of their own. Toru winked and flashed her the thumbs-up sign, while Fujima grinned, and nodded, mouthing an 'arigatou' just before he turned to the game at hand. 

The whistle blew, and the ball was thrown up into the air. Sumire sighed, and settled down to watch as Toru tapped the ball away from his opponent's hand and towards his teammates. The game had begun.

*        *        *

The air of elation was everywhere, and it was so palpable that Fujima could almost taste it on the air whenever he breathed. He grinned as he stretched, loosening the somewhat tense muscles in his back.

They had just returned to Shoyo campus from Takezato, where they had literally wiped out their rival team. _And they were supposed to be the third best in the prefecture…they offered practically no challenge! _All the others had gone home, even Toru, but Fujima and Sumire had to stay behind to look over the stats of the day.

"Congratulations, Fujima-sempai," Sumire said as she came up to him, a brilliant smile on her face. "You were fantastic out there!"  
  


Fujima chuckled then, and smiled, once more attempting to keep his blush down. "Arigatou, Sumire. Actually, I have to say that we ALL had a hand in this victory, so it's not just me that needs congratulating."

"I said that to everyone else already," Sumire said matter-of-factly. "You were the only one I hadn't spoken to yet."

"Honto?" Fujima said then, laughing a little, more at himself than at her. "Arigatou, Sumire." It was then that he noticed something. _She braided her hair? _

This was something he hadn't seen before. Usually, Sumire tied her long, jet-black hair in a ponytail whenever she was required to do something that needed her hair to be out of her face, which was practically every day of the five-day school week. But today, her hair was tied back in an intricate-looking braid, beginning close to the top of her head and ending just above her waist, tied off with a rubber band.

She must have noticed him staring, because she laughed quietly, and fingered the tail of her braid. "My braid, eh? There's a little story to this…"  
  


"Would you mind telling me?" Fujima asked as he picked up his bag, the both of them heading towards the exit of the gym. Fujima had decided to walk Sumire home again, to which Toru hadn't complained at all. _I must thank Toru for this later on…_

Sumire shrugged as she walked beside him, one hand on the strap of her schoolbag while the other fiddled with the tail of her braid. "It was some time back, when I was thirteen. I was just a freshman in high school then, in the Philippines, and I was one of the first six for our volleyball team. Since my usual ponytail just wouldn't work for that kind of situation, I decided to braid it. We won that game, though it wasn't really an easy win. We were up against the seniors of our school. But that basically clinched the Inter-Level Volleyball Cup for my batch.

"Later on, that same year, I took an exam for the school paper, which was very difficult for freshmen to get into on their first try. On the day of the exam, I braided my hair, more out of nervousness than anything else. When the test results came out, I learned that not only did I pass the test, I was immediately made into a permanent staff member. New staff members were NEVER given such a consideration, and my achievement was the first in the entire history of our school.

"And the third time was during an inter-school cultural competition. I was fifteen then, and in my junior year. One of my best friends was going to sing in front of a huge crowd, and just for her, I decided to braid my hair. She won that competition hands down."

She turned to him then, and smiled. "So now, whenever something important is going to happen, I always braid my hair. It brings me – or the people around me – good luck."

Fujima smiled at her, charmed by the story. "So does Toru know about this?"

Sumire shook her head, and tilted her chin downwards, a soft blush suddenly appearing on her face. "Iie, I never told him. Of course, he never asked, and I would have told him if he had, but…you're the first one to have noticed."

For some odd reason, that quiet admission made Fujima feel warm and tingly all over. _I know something that she has only dared to share to me… Toru doesn't know everything about her, then. _It made him feel rather…special, in a way. Trusted, as though he had suddenly become a confidante to whom she would confide anything and everything. At the very least, this sense of trust she shared with him meant that she liked him in some ways. _Maybe not yet in the way I like her, but soon, it will come around…it's all just a matter of time and patience…_

Just then, Sumire spoke up, "Fujima-sempai, do you know who my secret admirer is?"

Fujima glanced at her, eyes wide in surprise. _Why would she ask me that? _"Nani, Sumire?"

"Do you know who my secret admirer is? Toru-kun keeps on saying that it's someone on the team, but I just can't figure out who." Her face scrunched in frustration then, though Fujima admitted to himself that it looked cute on her when she did that. "I mean, I try to observe the others as best as I can. The first one I eliminated was Toru, for obvious reasons. Then I crossed Nagano and Tagano off my list, since they have girlfriends of their own. Hasegawa was next, because he was courting another girl already. That left only you and Ito. That was so strange, especially considering the fact that all of you were teasing Ito that he had a crush on me, but I watched him closely, and I don't think that he's the one. That left you, but I realized then…what would you want to do with me?"

_Nani? _"Sumire, what are you trying to say?"

Sumire let out a laugh, but it was quiet, and deprecating. "I mean, what would you want with me? I'm as ordinary as all-get-out!! I'm like a hundred other girls in the school. No, I think that you would want someone prettier than me, and smarter. Someone who could match up to you and stand toe-to-toe with you in everything. Someone who could make a good match with the Basketball Ace and Heartthrob of Shoyo. And I never can be that someone. Never."

Fujima halted right then and there, staring at her with utter disbelief. _Is that how she thinks of herself, _he wondered incredulously. _Does she really think so low of herself?! Does she really believe that she isn't good enough for me?! Gods, if anything, I'M the one who isn't good enough for HER!!!! _

It was as if he had lost utter control of his body motions. He watched in a strangely detached manner as his hand shot out, grasping Sumire's wrist. 

"Nani? Fujima-sempai, is something wrong," Sumire asked as she turned to him, dark brown eyes boring straight into his blue ones. 

He stared at her, at the delicate face that always drifted in and out of his dreams. Gods, he wanted to kiss her right there, show her how much she meant to him. He wanted her to see just how deep he had lost himself in this pit, show her that by falling in love with her his soul had become irretrievably lost, and yet the only way to redeem himself was to succumb to the feelings he felt for her…

Sumire wriggled against his grasp, a hint of discomfort flitting across her face. "Fujima-sempai, let me go, onegai. You're hurting me."

With those words Fujima's control was restored, and he released Sumire's wrist with a sharp jerk. He gasped for breath, trying to suck air into his lungs while at the same trying to steady the rapid beating of his heart. _What have I done? _"Sumire, I-I'm sorry, I-"

"Iie, it was nothing." 

The smile again, the smile that always seemed to say, 'I'm okay, nothing to worry about'. And Fujima would have believed it, if it weren't for the pain and anguish so clearly seen in her eyes. He shook his head. "It was something." He lifted her hand gently, holding it as though it could break with the slightest implementation of force. There, in the glow of the streetlights, he could see a row of slowly darkening bruises in the shape of his fingers. 

He winced when he saw them. "Gomen nasai, Sumire, gomen nasai…"

She just laughed, carefully tugging her hand away from him. "You shouldn't worry about it so much, Fujima-sempai. I tend to bruise quite easily." She wrinkled her nose then in annoyance. "I guess that's the reason why I'm not so good at basketball. My parents think that since I bruise easily, I should avoid playing sports as rough as basketball, and thus I lose opportunities to practice and gain experience."

Fujima laughed weakly, and they continued walking towards Sumire's house, though there was no further conversation on the way.

AUTHOR'S OOC:

Harle giggling: Ooh-la-la, did you REALLY want to kiss her then, Fujima-kun?

Chibi-Fujima smiles bashfully: Well, uh, yeah…

Maia sighs: Oh, that was SOOO romantic!!!!! Just reading it gave me the tingles!!!!

Chibi-Sumire frowns: But why did you have to make me get bruised so easily?! In the prologue nothing like that happened!!!

Harle giggles: Oh hush up!! It makes for VERY good copy, do you realize that? And besides, you don't REALLY bruise that easily; it's just an excuse!  
  


Chibi-Sumire blinks, finally understanding: Oh.

Harle nods: Hai! Now then, let's get on to the next part of the story!! 

Maia rubs hands evilly: Ooh, this is going to be SO good…


	8. Chapter Seven: Memories of Things Past

Chapter Seven: Memories of Things Past 

Sumire sat in front of her dressing table, carefully braiding her hair into one long rope. She smiled as she started tying it off with a rubber band. _They're going to need quite a bit of luck today. Though Fujima-sempai keeps on saying that Shohoku is nothing, nevertheless, they're going to need it…_

Just as she was twisting the last bit of rubber band around the tail of her braid, the rubber snapped, suddenly loosening its hold on her hair.

_Huh? _Sumire held the thin band between her fingers, staring at it with a thoughtful gaze. The practical side of her told her that it was nothing and that she should just replace it, but her gut sense told her that it was a sign, that something bad was going to happen, and that her braiding her hair for good luck wouldn't make any difference…

"Mire-chan!" Toru called from the other side of her door, knocking on it more than usual. "Mire-chan, hurry up! We're going to be late!!"

"Hai, hai!" Sumire called in response as she picked a new rubber band from the others on the table, and used that to tie her braid. That done, she picked up her bag, and opened the door of her room. Toru was standing there, looking like he couldn't decide between being nervous and being excited. "Let's go, Toru-kun!"

*        *        *

Mitsui surveyed the crowd that had gathered in the stadium, very impressed with the number of people who had shown up. _This seems to be a bigger crowd than the ones we've had before. _

"All of those are fans of Shoyo," Miyagi said quietly, looking at the opposite side of the gym. He whistled quietly. "Damn, but there's lots of them! Kind of freaky, if you think about it…"

"The morale of Shoyo will probably be pretty high then," Mitsui muttered darkly. "They're going to feel confident about it. That can work for them, but we can make it work for us, too."

Ayako came walking up to them then, her expression unusually serious. "They have a good reason to be confident aside from the support their school has for their team. Team Shoyo is extremely talented. Their ace, Fujima Kenji, is reputed to be one of the best point guards in all of Kanagawa."

Mitsui glanced at Miyagi, and noticed the latter's suddenly determined expression. "Heard that Miyagi?"

"Hai," Miyagi muttered with a nod. A small smile appeared on his features. "Let's see how good he is, ne?"

Mitsui chuckled, and shook his head. _Miyagi, you can be extremely competitive sometimes. Guess it comes with being short, eh? _He turned around, intent on heading back to the locker room.

It was then that Ayako uttered a cry of surprise. "I didn't know Shoyo had a female manager! I thought that it was Fujima Kenji who handled that!"

_Nani? _Mitsui turned around, and looked towards the Shoyo side. What he saw there made his eyes widen involuntarily… _Impossible…impossible… I thought that she had disappeared two years ago!! What's she doing here?!?!_

*        *        *

Fujima smiled as he surveyed the stadium, feeling something akin to pride as he watched his teammates go onto the court. They were in the best shape yet, and what was more, they had just defeated Takezato, which was the third best in the prefecture. Shohoku wasn't even close to fifth. _We have nothing to worry about._

"Why aren't you going to play, Fujima-sempai?"

Fujima glanced at Sumire, who was seated at the table nearby. He noticed with a smile that her hair was braided. _For good luck, like always. _"I don't think I'm needed yet, Sumire. Shohoku shouldn't be that dangerous an opponent. Although I do have to admit that the fact that they beat Takezato worries me a little, it isn't all that much. The others can handle them for the meantime."

Sumire gazed at him for a while, then she smiled, and returned to her seat. "Well, whatever you say. You're the coach." She turned to the team on the court then, and shouted, "Ganbatte, minna! You can beat them!"

Fujima smiled when he saw her do that. _She always wishes us good luck. Maybe having her around is a good luck charm of some sort?_ He suppressed a laugh at that. _That wouldn't be so bad…having a good luck charm everywhere…we could use some more good luck, especially when we face Kainan…_

The whistle blew, and Fujima immediately focused on the game, though a small percentage of his mind was drawn to the girl beside him. 

*        *        *

Sumire sighed when the buzzer rang, signaling half time. _At last, a breather! _She put her papers together, and watched as her cousin came walking up towards her. She grinned as he approached. "Very good game, Toru-kun! You sure showed Shohoku's lumbering oaf of a center just what you could do!"

Toru laughed, and wagged a finger at her in seeming disapproval, though he had a smile on his face. "Now, now, Mire-chan, you can't call him that! That's not the kind of attitude you're supposed to have! Give him some credit! He's reputedly one of the best centers in Kanagawa!"

"I don't care. He looks weird on the court. He belongs in a club – as a bouncer," Sumire said, though she toned her voice down a little so that only Team Shoyo could hear what they were talking about. And that particular comment earned snickers from the rest of the team.

"Don't be mean, Sumire," Fujima said as they went over to the locker room that was assigned to them. "Akagi Takenori is indeed one of the best centers in the prefecture. Though he is something of an oaf, you can't deny his power on the court. And he IS a very good captain."

Sumire nodded. _That's right, I haven't gotten their names yet. _"By the way, Fujima-sempai, could you tell me their names? I don't exactly know who they are…shows how out of the loop I am, ne?"

Fujima just laughed then. "Well, I've already mentioned Akagi. He plays center for Team Shohoku, and wears the Number Four jersey. He's also the captain of Team Shohoku. Then there's Rukawa Kaede, small forward and ace of Shohoku. He's the one in the Number Eleven jersey."

"Right. The guy with the mean dunk," Sumire said with a nod.

"Hai. The power forward would be the redhead, Sakuragi Hanamichi. He's the one in the Number Ten jersey."

Sumire giggled. "The redhead, huh? He's so…violent. Just like his hair color." She wrinkled her nose. "I don't like him all that much. Though his rebound WAS pretty clever. Came just in the nick of time – too bad for us though."

Fujima smiled at her. "I like how you observe the players, Sumire. Hmm, who else? There's Miyagi Riyota, point guard and the shortest one on the team. He wears the Number Seven Jersey."

_Point guard? _"A challenger, Fujima-sempai?"

"There have always been challengers, Sumire-san," Ito said then. "Though Fujima-san IS one of the best, second only to Maki Shinichi of Kainan."

"If we win this, Maki will no longer be the best point guard, because Fujima-san will challenge him for it," Hasegawa said confidently. 

Fujima grinned, and shook his head. "Let's just play the game for the meantime, ne? There will be enough time to think about Kainan AFTER we win this one." He turned to Sumire, and continued, "And lastly, there is Mitsui Hisashi, shooting guard and perhaps one of the aces of Shohoku as well. He was an MVP during his junior high days, and that was mainly because of his superb shooting skills. He's the one in the Number Fourteen jersey."

At the mention of the name "Mitsui Hisashi", Sumire stopped dead in her tracks, halting at the entrance of the locker room. Her veins suddenly ran ice instead of blood out of shock. _Mitsui…Hisashi? _Memories suddenly came crashing back into her mind…of a dark night two years ago…in the streets of Kanagawa…

"Mire-chan? Mire-chan, is something wrong?"

Sumire snapped out of her trance-like state with a gasp. Her eyes came sharply into focus, and she saw Toru and Fujima peering down at her with concern. Her cousin's hands were placed firmly around her upper arms, where they had been shaking her for a couple of seconds. "I…what…"

Toru let go of her arms, and placed his hands on her cheeks, rubbing them gently as if to bring back some semblance of warmth into them. "Mire-chan, are you alright? You looked like you were struck by lightning or something. What's wrong?"

Sumire took a deep breath to steady her voice before she answered, "I-iie, it was nothing. I just…I just remembered something important…something back home with Mom and Otoo-san." She put on her smiling face again, waving them off. "I'll be okay, I just remembered something. I'll fix it in no time."

"You're not okay," Toru said, his tone seemingly final. "Your hands still feel cold. And that look in your eyes a while ago…it was pure dread."

Sumire laughed then, glad that it sounded quite natural to her ears. "Oh come ON, Toru-kun, stop fussing over me! I'm sixteen turning seventeen, for heaven's sake!! I can take care of myself! And besides, shouldn't you be worrying about something else? Like how to beat Shohoku? That should be your priority right around now."

Toru's gaze was analytical, and for a moment Sumire thought he wouldn't believe her. But in the end, he backed off, and smiled slightly. "You scared me back there, Mire-chan. Don't do that ever again, you hear me?"

_Phew. _Sumire giggled, and nodded. "Hai, hai Toru-kun."

*        *        *

Toru kept a close eye on his cousin, watching as she organized her notes on the first half of their game with Shohoku. _Something is clearly wrong with her. _

He hadn't bought into her little act of a few moments ago, when she said that she had just remembered something about her mother and father back in the Philippines. _She can tell a lie beautifully if she has to, but not this once. No, definitely not this once. _

Fujima approached him then, trying to be as discreet as possible. "What is wrong with her, Hanagata?"

"I don't know," Toru replied, and he hated giving such an answer. "I don't really understand. When you said Mitsui's name, I think that was the one that made her stop."

"Do you think she has something to do with Mitsui?"

"None that I know of. As far as I know, she has never met Mitsui." Toru's eyes narrowed then. _Or maybe she hasn't told me anything yet…_

Sumire turned to them then, a cheerful smile on her face. "Fujima-sempai, half-time is nearly up!"

Fujima sighed, and stood up. "Alright then people, let's get moving! Remember, we're in the lead, and this second half shouldn't be a problem for you. We can beat them easily."

Toru grinned; feeling very much motivated to win the game. There was nothing in the back of his mind to trouble him…except for the way Sumire had been acting.

_But that can wait until another time, _he told himself as he and the rest of the team stood up to head back to the court. _For now, all I have to think about is beating Shohoku._

AUTHOR'S OOC:

Harle giggles madly: Ooh-la-LA!!!! And they meet once more on the court!!!

Maia shakes head, though still smiling: You evil, evil author!!! You are so nasty to your OC's!!!

Chibi-Sumire nods vigorously: Hai, hai!!!!! She tortures us OC's, and she LOVES watching us squirm!!!

Chibi-Eli (one of my OC's from my LOTR fanfic) nods as well: Yeah, she's very mean!!!! Imagine having to be sick for at least one-fourth of the fic, and THEN forcing me to choose between a pair of twins!! TWINS!!!!!!!!

Chibi-Ryu (another OC from my Legend of Dragoon fanfic) scowls: You can't IMAGINE what it's like to be an OC for HER!!! First she brings me out of my wonderfully normal life, plunks me down IN A PRISON, makes me run around with some whackos, and THEN springs a couple dozen dreams on me telling me about my past life!!! And all the while, I have conflicting feelings for a certain King…

Chibi-Riana (an OC from my Fushigi Yuugi fic) sighs: That's nothing. Imagine pretending NOT to have feelings for the guy you love just because he loves someone else, find out that a GOD is head-over-heels in love with you, and THEN have your first crush turn around and say he loves you, while at the same time trying to prevent a stupid Miko from making any more mistakes and getting her Seishi all killed!

Harle waves hand lazily: Aw come on, don't give me that!! The troubles you had to go through are important. It's called PLOT, honey, something that a LOT of fics don't have anymore. And besides, I ALWAYS reward you guys in the end, don't I? Eli, didn't I marry you off to Elrohir – the twin you ACTUALLY liked? I could've given you to Elladan, but NOOOO, I was nice, wasn't I? And Ryu, you can whine all you want about me dragging you out of your normal life and giving you a somewhat abnormal one, but hey, if I didn't do that you wouldn't have met Albert, would you? And as for you, Riana, didn't I give you away to Hotohori in the end? I could've had Suzako just kidnap you, but NOOOOOO; I was NICE about it too, wasn't I? So you can't complain that I am mean to you, because even if I am initially, you all get your happily-ever-afters.

Chibi-OC's all bow their heads: …

Harle smiles satisfactorily: Good. Now then, let's get this show on the road!!

P.S: It seems that a lot of Pinoys are reading this fic ^_^. Just so you know, this is probably just the first of a larger set of stories that I might write involving Filipinas (whether mixed or pure) and the SD boys. However, I will use the not-so-popular ones, like Fujima, Hanagata, Maki, Jin, and Koshino. And there might be some Sendoh-bashing at one point or another, so…Sendoh fans, GOMEN NASAI!!!!! Oh yeah, and I would just LOVE to meet you Pinoys out there who have read this fic!! Give me your cellphone numbers and landline numbers (the landlines are only for those who live inside Metro Manila). And if you're in college already (like moi) or if you hang around Taft Ave. within the vicinity of La Salle on Wednesday afternoons, then let's meet! Maia and I get together every Wednesday at the McDonald's beside La Salle, and we discuss…oh, just about everything ^_^. So, what do you guys think? EB tayo laughs? Anyway, my cell number is 0917-481-83-10, while my landline is 551-07-79. I live in Paranaque. That's it peeps! Au revoir!!!


	9. Chapter Eight: Set the Date

Chapter Eight: Set the Date 

Sumire sighed as she walked into the house, gently rubbing her aching head. _It's been quite a day…a very LONG day…_

She and Toru had just returned from the stadium, where Shoyo lost to Shohoku by the difference of a single point in their scores. This was quite a blow in the gut to Team Shoyo, since they were expecting that they would win, especially given the lead they had in the first few quarters. But a spectacular series of almost improbable events led to their losing the game – by just one point.

She turned to Toru then, and she felt her stomach drop slightly when she saw the bandage under his eye. The redhead of Shohoku had hit him there when he attempted to do a dunk. _What was his name again? Sakuragi? _"Toru-kun, are you okay?"

Toru smiled slightly, and nodded. "Hai, hai, I am. It didn't really hurt that much, actually." His face became concerned. "But what about you? Are YOU alright?"

"Hai." Sumire sighed, remembering what had happened that afternoon…

~       ~       ~

Sumire nibbled at her nails as she watched the game grow more and more heated in pace and play. Shoyo was still in the lead, but Shohoku was catching up, and fast, mostly due to the rebounds of Sakuragi and the three-point shots of Mitsui. _He's very good, _Sumire thought as she watched Mitsui shoot the ball right over Hasegawa's head, scoring another three points for Shohoku. _Even Hasegawa-sempai is having trouble with him…_

Somehow, she didn't really remember what had happened. The next thing she knew, the ball was hurtling towards her, and Mitsui was chasing after it, with Fujima right behind him. But Mitsui had gotten a head start, it seemed, and so was the first one to reach the ball. He swatted it back onto the court and towards his teammates, before he promptly crashed into the benches set up beside Sumire.

Sumire yelped in surprise, and jumped up, edging away from the player sitting on the floor nearby. She stared at him, unable to prevent herself from trembling. _This is the one…the one who hurt me, who made me feel so insufficient and insecure…the one who shattered everything, all my hopes and ideals…_

Mitsui got up slowly from his prone position on the floor, and the first thing he did was look at her. Even if she wanted to do otherwise, Sumire found herself staring into his eyes, and felt a shock travel up and down her body. His eyes said many things that he couldn't say at that moment. And Sumire found herself responding to him, letting her eyes do all the talking…

_I'm sorry… I'm so sorry…_

_I don't know if I can forgive you… You hurt me deeply, so very deeply…you broke me and now I'm just a hollow shell… I've been forced to live a lie because of you… Ever since you did that to me, I've been a liar, and I don't know how much longer I can keep lying until I break down…_

_How can I ever make it up to you…?_

_I don't know… I don't think you can ever make amends…not after what you did to me… No amount of money in the world can cover up the lies and the guilt and the tears that have come about because of your deed… Nothing you can do or give me can return what I lost to you that night…_

"Mire-chan! Are you hurt?"

Sumire snapped out of her trance-like state, and turned to her left to see Toru and Fujima staring down at her with worry. "Nani?"

Toru tilted her chin upwards to look down at her face. "Are you okay, Mire-chan? You don't look too good…"

Sumire laughed then, and pulled away from her cousin. "It's nothing, just a little surprised by that whole thing, that's all."

"You look pale, Sumire," Fujima said, his face and voice saying it all.

"I'll be okay, you don't have to worry about me." She grinned back at them, and nodded towards the court. "Get back to the game, you two! We've got to win this, ne?"

Fujima sighed then, and jogged back towards the rest of his teammates. Toru followed, but his gaze lingered on her for a moment before he turned away to focus on the game.

~       ~       ~

"Mire-chan."

Sumire snapped to attention, and blinked. "Did you say something, Toru-kun?"

Toru sighed, and repeated what he had been saying a while ago, "I was wondering if there was anything you wanted to do this weekend. I haven't taken you out around Kanagawa yet, so I think that it would be fun if we had a day out together." He winked at her. "Spend some time bonding, ne?"

Sumire laughed. "With THAT under your eye? Are you SURE you want to be seen in public looking like that?"

"Oh yeah, right," Toru said as he fingered the bandage. "Well, since your extraordinarily handsome and heartthrob of a cousin-"

"Toru-kun!!! Your ego is talking again!"

Toru just laughed, and continued, "…won't be around to accompany you, I might as well let my best friend have the privilege of showing you around!"

_Nani? Fujima-sempai, show me around Kanagawa? _"Are you saying that you're going to let Fujima-sempai take me around Kanagawa?"

"Hai, that's precisely what I'm saying." Toru smiled. "Come on, Mire-chan, there's nothing you need to worry about! You get along well with Fujima, ne? I trust him more than I would trust Ito or any of the others, to be honest. I can be sure that he will take good care of you."

Sumire nodded. "Hai… But if other people see me with him…especially the girls from Shoyo…they might think we're-"

"Together?" Toru cut in, and Sumire watched an evil grin spread on his face. "Then all the better! Fujima's been having trouble with his fans, and the only way they will stay away from him is if they see him with someone else. And who else better to see him with than Hanagata Sumire, manager of Team Shoyo and one of the most intelligent students in Shoyo. You'd make a PERFECT match!!!"

"Yeah, right," Sumire said with a roll of the eyes. "Fujima-sempai deserves to be seen with someone else. Someone prettier than me, someone smarter…"

"There's no one else in the school smarter than you are, Mire-chan," Toru said seriously. "Everyone in the school knows that if it hadn't been for the Department of Education, you'd be in college right now, in spite of the fact that you're only sixteen going on seventeen. I've heard nothing but good things about you from the school rumor mill, Mire-chan. If anyone deserves to be seen with Fujima, it's you."

That made Sumire shut up. She stared at her cousin, at his serious expression. _Does he really think I deserve to be seen with Fujima-sempai? Others might tease him for his choice of girls if they see us together…and it doesn't help that he's a senior and I'm just a freshman… And what about the scandal if they find out that the team captain and the manager were seen together?! _"Are you really sure on this, Toru-kun?"

He shrugged then. "Would I even suggest it if I weren't sure?" 

Sumire sighed, and rolled her eyes heavenward. "Fine, fine, I give up! If that's what you want to happen, then alright, it's okay by me." She smirked at him then. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say that you were trying to set me up with your best friend!"

Toru smiled at her innocently. "Set you two up?! No way!! If Fujima wanted to court you, he wouldn't get any help from me whatsoever, even if he IS my best friend. If he wants you, he's going to have to work for YOUR favor."

That made Sumire laugh. "I understand, Toru-kun." She yawned, and stretched. "Well, looks like I need to get some sleep. Just tell me tomorrow about the plans, okay? Oyasumi nasai, Toru-kun."

"Oyasumi, Mire-chan."

*        *        *

Fujima's eyebrow went up slightly when he heard what Toru told him. "Are you sure on this, Toru?"

"Hai," Toru answered, his voice changing little over the phone. "Mire-chan hasn't been out around the town yet, and since I can't go out because of this stupid wound under my eye, I decided to let YOU do it."

_Sumire and me…out on the town…_ "So it'll be like a date?"

"You could think of it that way. As far as Mire-chan is concerned, you're just her friend and escort. She doesn't see you the way you see her, Fujima."

"Hai, hai, I know. I just wish it were easy to tell her…"

"It's not enough to just TELL her, Kenji, and you know it. Mire-chan would be horribly shell-shocked if you just told her right there and then without any prior hints or clues. Take it easy on her. The outing this Sunday would be a very good opportunity for you to drop a few hints. Mire-chan is a smart girl; she'll catch on pretty soon."

"But what does she think of me? I mean, aside from the fact that she thinks of me as a friend?"

"Kuso Kenji, are you really THAT blind? You're the only one she REALLY gets along with on the team!! She might seem all friendly and relaxed with the others, but she's different when she's around you. Her defenses go down right away, and she relaxes all the more. There's hardly any difference with the way she is around me with the way she is around you! And there's one more sign that tells me she trusts you."

"And what would that be?"

"Have you ever noticed that Mire-chan NEVER gets too close to the other guys? She tends to keep at least two feet between her and them. But with you and me, she's willing to get right up close. Until I introduced you to her, I was the only one – aside from her other male cousins and father – who could hold her by the hand or put an arm around her shoulders. Now, she doesn't even flinch when you touch her! She even seems to LIKE it!"

Fujima felt his blush rise right up behind his eyes. _Does she? _The thought that Sumire liked his touch made him feel awfully strange… "Honto, Toru?"

"Hai. But don't get too confident and push your luck with her, Kenji. Like I said, you may be my best friend, but I'm willing to forget all of that if you do anything to hurt my cousin."

Fujima laughed, even though Toru's voice was dead serious when he made that statement. "Hai, I know. And I promise that I won't do anything like that to her."

"You'd better." Toru paused, and then said, "It's late already. I'd best be headed to bed now. So you're going to take Mire-chan out for me?"

"Hai, hai, I will. Sunday right?"

"Hai. Oyasumi, Fujima."

"Oyasumi Toru."

AUTHOR'S OOC:

Harle giggles: WHEE, it's a DATE!!!!

Maia cheers: GO FUJIMA GO FUJIMA GO FUJIMA GO!!!! If you get through with this, maybe you can…get to second base with her, eh nudges Fujima in the ribs?

Chibi-Fujima blushes: Do you think I can?

Harle: If you behave nicely, then maybe I will let you.

Chibi-Mitsui pops out of nowhere: Hey, you're being really mean to me, you know that?

Harle shrugs: I know I am, but don't worry, you end up just fine… After a couple of beatings from Fujima and Toru, but that's towards the end…

Chibi-Fujima and Chibi-Toru blinks: Huh? We beat him up? Why?

Harle: You'll see. But let's get on with the story so you guys can find out, ne?


	10. Chapter Nine: Bumping Into Others Isn't ...

Chapter Nine: Bumping Into Others Isn't Good For Your Health… 

Sumire tied her hai into her usual ponytail as she stood in front of the mirror, eyeing herself carefully. _Do I look okay? _

She walked out of her room then, and knocked on Toru's door. "Toru-kun, can I come in?"

His voice responded to her from within. "The door's open, Mire-chan!"

Sumire pushed the door open, and found her cousin bent over his desk, apparently working on some project or other. She smiled. _He's always so hardworking. _"How do I look, Toru-kun?"

Toru turned to her, and she watched his eyes slowly get bigger and bigger from behind his glasses. "Mire-chan…you look GOOD!"

Sumire smiled, and blushed. "Well…thanks." She was wearing a pair of bootleg-cut jeans and an Abercrombie and Fitch top with sleeves up to her elbows. The top was kind of fitted and showed off her figure, something that she was secretly proud of. As for her footwear, it was a pair of L.A Gear trainers, her favorite because they were very comfortable, especially if she had a lot of walking to do. To complete everything, she had on a wristwatch on her left wrist and a pair of small silver earrings dangling from her earlobes. As it turned out, ear piercing, even among girls, was quite rare in Japan, and associated with rebellion and all that.

"Thanks? That's all you have to say?! Mire-chan, you look like a fashion model straight off the cover of Vogue!" Toru teased.

Sumire whacked him lightly over the head. "Toru-kun!!! I don't look THAT good!"

"Compared with some of the girls I've seen? Hah, I wouldn't be surprised to find out that all of the girls will be green with envy!!!"

Sumire laughed, and shook her head at her cousin. "You're just trying to butter me up."

Just then, the doorbell rang, and Sumire jumped. "That's probably Fujima-sempai!" She snatched up her denim body bag, and slipped it over her head to rest on her left shoulder. She grinned at Toru then. "Ja ne, Toru-kun! See you later!"

Toru smiled at her, and nodded, waving her off. "Ja, Mire-chan! Have fun!"

"Hai!"

*        *        *

"So where are you going to take me, Fujima-sempai?"

Fujima glanced at his companion with a smile. "I was thinking of taking you to the mall. Maybe we can see a movie, go for some ice cream, spend some time at the arcade if you'd like, and then go to the beach later this afternoon to watch the sunset. How does that sound?"

A grin spread on Sumire's face. "Wow, sounds like a lot of fun!! What's showing at the movies?"

"Well, there're a couple new movies… 'A Walk to Remember' is one of them, and 'Star Wars Episode Two: Attack of the Clones' is showing too…which one do you want to see?"

"Star Wars!" Sumire exclaimed with a laugh.

Fujima blinked. _Star Wars? _He had expected that she would want to see "A Walk to Remember", which was clearly a romantic movie and something that a girl like her would like. "Are you sure about that, Sumire?"

Sumire nodded. "Yes I am. What, you expect me to watch 'A Walk to Remember'?! Seriously Fujima-sempai, you've been around me long enough to know that I'm not the kind of girl who watches romantic movies, though I DO harbor romantic fantasies of my own. Given a choice between watching a kissing scene with Mandy Moore and a light saber fight with Yoda, I'd choose the saber fight and Yoda hands-down!" Her smile became bemused when she added, "And besides, I know you'd just get bored if we watched 'A Walk to Remember'."

"If that's what you wanted to watch it'd be just fine with me," Fujima said sincerely, even as they got closer and closer to the mall. "You should be having fun."

"I know, I know," Sumire said with a wave of her hand, "but I want you to have fun too. I'm not the only one who's going to be watching, ne? It just so happens that I really like Star Wars too. I'd be a lot happier watching it than 'A Walk to Remember'."

Fujima laughed, and rolled his eyes. "Hai, hai, whatever you say, Sumire." _It's a good thing that she'd rather watch Star Wars than 'A Walk to Remember'. I'd probably have slept through the latter one._ They were at the entrance of the cinemas at that moment, and Fujima lined up to buy the tickets.

Sumire grinned as she nodded towards the popcorn stand. "You stay and get the tickets, I'll handle the popcorn."

_Nani?! How come she wants to do that?! _"Sumire-"

"I'LL do it," Sumire said, cutting him off immediately. "Fujima-sempai, you must understand this about me: if there is something I can do to make something easier for someone else, then I'll usually do it. If I get the popcorn now, we'll be able to get into the theater faster. It'll save us precious time. And no, you're not going to pay me for the popcorn. I think you're going to be spending a lot of money today, even though Toru-kun is going to be paying you back for everything. So let me make it a little easier on you, okay?" 

Fujima sighed as he watched Sumire make her way towards the popcorn stand, shaking his head. _She's so independent and hardheaded… But I think that's what makes me like her all the more. She doesn't really need anyone to do anything for her; she can do it by herself. _

He only wished it was easy to tell her what he felt for her.

*        *        *

Sumire laughed as she and Fujima exited the movie theater. "God, that was FUN!!!! The light saber fights were BRILLIANT!! The true hero of the movie wasn't Obi-wan, not Anakin, and not even Mace Windu! It was YODA!!!"

Fujima laughed with her, nodding. "Hai, hai! When everyone else failed, it was Yoda who saved the day."

"I heard that George Lucas intentionally worked that scene to prove just why Yoda deserved to be called the most powerful Jedi," Sumire shared. 

Fujima nodded, his blue eyes twinkling merrily at her in the sun. "He managed to do just that, didn't he?"

"Hai!" Sumire looked around. "So, where do we go next?"

Fujima nodded towards a nearby arcade. "How about over there?"

Sumire's eyes gleamed. "Do they have air hockey there?"

"Nani?" Fujima blinked. "What's air hockey?"

_Holy…_ "Fujima-sempai, you don't know what air hockey is?"  
  


"Iie."

"You know, the one wherein two players hit a puck-like thing around a table and prevent it from reaching the little goal thing on their side?"

"Oh, THAT!" Fujima exclaimed with a laugh. "Hai, I know that one! They have that in the arcade!" He glanced at her, a mischievous smile on his face. "Do you know how to play that game?"

Sumire drew herself up, putting on a mock-imperious expression. "I'll have you know that I am one of the best air-hockey players in my family!! Are you saying you're going to play against me?"

"Why not? I'm pretty good at the game myself."

Sumire laughed, excited about playing air hockey against her companion. "You're on, Fujima-sempai!!!!"

The two of them immediately headed for the arcade, where Fujima then purchased a large batch of tokens for the both of them. They quickly looked for an air hockey table, and spent a good deal of their time – and tokens – on that game. At first Fujima had the lead, but Sumire quickly caught up. Their match had ended in a draw, though, with a 30-30 tie. 

They each had twelve tokens left over, so Fujima took all of them and spent them all on the basketball free throw game. Naturally, being a player himself the game was chicken feed, and he ended up winning a LONG strip of tickets. These they exchanged at the counter for a teddy bear with gray fur for Sumire.

"This teddy bear is SO kawaii!" Sumire exclaimed as she and Fujima left the arcade. She hugged the stuffed toy tightly, pressing her cheek against the soft fur. "Arigatou, Fujima-sempai!"

Fujima chuckled, and nodded. "You're welcome, Sumire." He glanced at his watch, then at the sky. "Do you want that ice cream now, Sumire?"

Sumire perked up all the more at the mention of ice cream. "You just said the magic words, Fujima-sempai!" 

Her companion laughed, and nodded towards an ice cream shop not that far away. "Let's go over there. That place serves the best ice cream in Kanagawa!"

Sumire giggled, and walked alongside Fujima, looking and feeling EXTREMELY happy. _This is best day I've EVER had!! _It turned out that Fujima was a wonderful companion to have around, being very kind and considerate, and always ready to do something fun. That was the kind of person she liked to have around on days out. Toru was that kind of person; never afraid to do anything for fun so long as it was harmless. When she and Toru got together for a weekend on the town, it was usually utter chaos, but fun, harmless chaos.

They walked by a record store then, and paused in front of it. _Which reminds me, Toru-kun's birthday is in two weeks… Maybe I ought to get something for him right now. _She turned to Fujima then. "Fujima-sempai, could you please go on ahead? I'm going to do some birthday shopping for Toru-kun." 

Fujima looked ready to say no, but after a moment, he smiled, and nodded. "Okay. What kind of ice cream do you want?"

"A chocolate sundae with lots of cream and syrup," Sumire replied with a grin, to which Fujima laughed, and walked ahead to the ice cream shop. In the meantime, Sumire entered the record store, and riffled through the selection until she found the CD she wanted to buy her cousin. 

As she stepped out of the store, however, she felt someone bump right into her. _Ow! _She turned to give the person who bumped into her a piece of her mind, but the words died in her throat when she sees just WHO bumped into her. _Mi-Mitsui Hisashi?! _

*        *        *

Mitsui stared down at the girl he had bumped into, his eyes wide with disbelief. _Oh gods, it can't be…_

"Oi Micchy, what are you doing holding it up?" Sakuragi asked from behind him as he came up to the front. He glanced at the girl. He blinked. "Eh? Micchy, what are you doing staring at her?"

Mitsui blinked, and shook his head. "H-hai…" He forced his eyes to move away from her, and skirted around her, trying his best not to look back. _Oh gods, she's here, she's really here…and she remembers who I am…_

"Oi Mitsui-san, do you know who that girl was?" Miyagi asked as he glanced up at his older teammate. "She seemed to recognize you too."

Mitsui shrugged, carefully hiding his discomfort beneath the cool mask of nonchalance. "Hai, I recognize her, but her name slips my mind. I saw her last two years ago… Odd, really, since I rarely forget the name of a pretty girl…"

He mentally sighed in relief when he heard Miyagi and Sakuragi laughing at his remark. _I don't want THAT bit to get out… _

It had haunted him all his life, what had happened that night two years ago. He was forced to undergo the "initiation rite" that would finally set him up as the leader of the gang he had joined. His eventual subordinates had plucked this girl from the streets, practically hog-tied her, gagged her, and dumped her in their little hideout. 

He hadn't wanted to do it. Even during that time, when he was already slowly spiraling ever downwards into the pit of despair, he still held on tightly to a few morals that he wouldn't let go of. And that included forcing a girl to have sex with him when she didn't want it.

_I can't believe I actually did that to her, _he thought as he and Miyagi and Sakuragi headed for the movie house. _I wish I could turn back time…I wish I had enough strength to just walk away from what the others wanted me to do…_ He shook his head sharply. _What would the others think if they found out? What would Akagi and Kogure think? What would…what would Anzai-sensei think? _

"Oi, Micchy!"

Mitsui jerked from his thoughts, and glanced at Sakuragi, who was lining up at the ticket booth for their tickets. "Nani?"

Hanamichi held out his hand. "Your money, Micchy. You promised we'd all chip in for this."

"Oh, yeah, right." Mitsui reached into his pocket, and pulled out the money. He only hoped that he could drown out the memory while watching a light saber fight.

*        *        *

Something was wrong with her. Fujima could tell as much. _Something is wrong with Sumire…but the question is, what? _

She had been oddly silent since she came back from her little side-trip to the record shop. Though she smiled like she usually did and she talked eagerly about what they had done that entire day, there was something in the way she picked at her chocolate sundae that told him something was amiss. The way she made as little eye contact as possible with him, the way she seemed to suddenly shy away from him…all of these pointed to something. The problem, though, was that he didn't know WHAT was the matter with her.

But for the meantime, he didn't want to pry. He just let the waves and the seagulls fill in the silence between them, the sun slowly dipping down beyond the horizon and painting the sky with a variety of reds and pinks, staining the ocean gold and scarlet. 

When they found a lone bench in front of the beach, Fujima grinned, and gently took Sumire's hand, tugging her towards the bench. "Let's sit here a while, Sumire."

Sumire obliged him, and followed him towards the bench – but not before flinching a little and pulling her hand out of his.

Now Fujima was certain something was wrong. He gazed at his companion worriedly. "Daijobou ka, Sumire?"

Sumire glanced at him, eyes wide as if in fright for a moment, but then she relaxed, and nodded. "Hai, Fujima-sempai. How can I NOT be okay? We've spent such a fun day together… I only wish that Toru-kun were here to join in, though…"

Fujima tilted his head slightly in amusement. "You really love your cousin, don't you?"

"Hai. He's the only cousin I'm really close to. I mean, sure, I get along fine with the cousins I have on my mother's side of the family, but Toru-kun and I share a lot more in common." She smiled up at him. "He's the brother I never had."

"Ah." Fujima fell silent then, gazing at the ocean, deep in thought. He had spent so much time with the remarkable young woman who was sitting beside him, and he had come to adore her as more than just a mere friend. 

_To be completely honest I thought of her as more than a friend ever since the night I taught her how to do a jump shot,_ he thought amusedly. And that love had only grown as more and more days passed. He had reached the point wherein he couldn't close his eyes without seeing her face. She wandered his dreams every night, and her face was always the same: happy, brilliant smile; crystal, lilting laughter; but the eyes were sad, always infinitely sad. 

That was what ate at him, what tortured his heart. _What has she been hiding, _he wondered as he now turned his eyes to her, gazing at her contemplative face, at the shadowed emotions that were swirling through the dark brown depths of her eyes. Ever since the day they had played against Shohoku, he had noticed things – little things, really – that had changed about her. She still laughed the same way, she still smiled the same way, but her eyes were no longer filled with the clear sunlight he had always associated with them. Until the day they had played against Shohoku, nothing had been wrong.

_But what could have gone wrong? _He couldn't attribute it to their loss – they had played a good game, she herself had said that. She was thoroughly proud of the team and she always let them know it. She often joked that she would rip limb from limb anyone who had the gall to insult the team. Fujima was completely certain that it wasn't because of their performance that day. _But if that's the case, then what…_

"Fujima-sempai?"

He blinked back to reality, and turned to Sumire, putting a smile on his face then. "Hmm? Is there something you want, Sumire?"

Sumire shivered then, and rubbed her arms. "Can we go home? I hate to cut this so short, but it's getting late."

"Ah…hai." Fujima stood up, sliding his jacket off his arms. He turned to Sumire then, and with a smile, draped it over her shoulders. "Here. To keep the cold away."

Sumire opened her mouth, and tried to protest. "Fujima-sempai-"

"Keep it for the walk back to your house," Fujima said, his tone saying that he would not change his mind. 

Sumire gave him a grateful half-smile as she pulled the jacket tighter around her. "Arigatou, Fujima-sempai."

They walked back to Sumire's house, silent all the while. Sumire was lost in her own thoughts; while Fujima was busy with his own…most of them concerning her.

She looked so different at the moment. The jacket covering her slim frame made her seem smaller and frailer than Fujima imagined her to be. He was used to seeing her run around (or, more accurately, run AFTER her older cousin), and generally act a lot stronger than what he saw right now. She looked delicate, as though one breath of wind could easily knock her down. And he suddenly felt a strong urge to protect her, protect her from the world and all of its madness. He wanted to shield her like a precious glass statuette, one that he could lose easily in the maelstrom of life.

In that moment, he knew he loved her more than anything else he had ever loved. He loved her more than his family, more than his friends, more than basketball…more than life itself. She was his family, she was his friend…she was his entire life. He knew with certainty that the gods could take away everything he had, and he would still be happy…so long as they did not take Sumire away. If Sumire were to be taken away…then nothing would matter to him anymore. Life would lose all meaning, and he would just wander from day to day without really LIVING. He hadn't begun to live…until Sumire came.

They were in front of the house now, the lights inside coming on one by one as Toru prepared against the coming of night. In fact, Fujima could see his best friend's shadow as it moved from room to room. He turned to Sumire then, and smiled. "Well, I guess this is where I leave you for today, Sumire."

Sumire smiled back up at him, and for a moment, Fujima thought he caught a faint flicker of happiness in her eyes. "Arigatou again, Fujima-sempai." She removed the jacket, and handed it to him. "And thanks for the jacket too."

Fujima grinned as he took the jacket back. "It wasn't a problem." He paused a moment, taking in his fill of her face. At last, he nodded his head slightly. "Oyasumi nasai, Sumire."

Her pale pink lips turned upwards as she returned his grin. "Oyasumi nasai, Fujima-sempai."

AUTHOR'S OOC:

Harle giggling like a madwoman while leafing through a sheaf of papers: OOH-LA-LA!!!!!!! Maia, you sure know how to cook up a lemon!!!

Maia grinning a little bashfully: Thanks Harle. But you know, writing that was very, VERY draining…

Harle waves hand: Pshaw, you did GREAT!!!! It might drain most of your energy, but hey, when you write 'em, you WRITE 'EM!!!

Chibi-Toru trying to read over Harle's shoulder: Nani? Hey, let me a take a look at that, onegai!!!!

Harle whacks Chibi-Toru on the head and sends him back down: Oi, leave me alone will you?! You're not involved here, it's just between Fujima and Sumire!!!

Chibi-Sumire and Chibi-Fujima blink: Nani?

Maia rolls eyes: I don't think you ought to tell them yet, Harle. Better to keep them in the dark about it.

Harle sighs: I know, I know. 

Chibi-Sumire: Keep us in the dark about what???

Harle shakes head: How am I going to keep you in the dark about it if I tell you what it is??? No, you're going to find out later… Anyway, let's get on with the fic!!!!


	11. Chapter Ten: Confessions

Chapter Ten: Confessions 

Toru narrowed his eyes considerably at what his best friend told him. "Nani? What do you mean, you're worried about her?"

Fujima sighed. "She's been acting weird around me lately. It wasn't like before… You remember, you told me that she liked being close to me?"

Toru nodded. "Hai…"

"Well, that seems to have changed. A LOT. She flinches whenever I touch her, even if it's something quite accidental, and she always maintains a two-foot radius around herself. I can't get close to her anymore, Toru. And it worries me."

Toru shrugged. _Must be that time of the month again. _"Kenji, it just might be that time of the month."

"That's such an overused explanation," Fujima told him with a matching glare. "And no, I don't think that's the reason why." 

Toru let out a long sigh, thinking it over. _Now that Fujima mentions it, Mire-chan HAS been acting strangely. _It all started with one night, the night after her little outing with Fujima…

~       ~       ~

"AAAAAAAAIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Toru was jerked right out of his dreams, sitting up almost instantly at the sound. _What the…_ It took a while for his brain to shake off the sleep, but when it did, it started acting at top speed. _That scream, it sounded like… _His eyes widened with horror for a minute. _Oh gods…MIRE-CHAN!!!!!_

He jumped out of bed, crossing his room in a few swift strides before throwing the door open and entering the hall. He reached Sumire's room, which was right across from his, and threw the door open as well. He flicked the switch, and the room was filled with light.

Toru scanned the room quickly, trying to see if someone had tried to break into the house. The windows were shut; the desk was in order…everything seemed to be okay. There was nothing there.

Until he looked at his younger cousin.

It was a sight he would remember for the rest of his life, and it was a sight that would tear at his subconscious forever. Sumire, hunched up in her bed, sobbing, her entire body shaking from the severity of her crying. _She probably had a nightmare…a very bad nightmare…_

"Mire-chan…" Toru approached her slowly, knowing that something was horribly wrong. He put his knees on the bed, and wrapped his arms around Sumire, holding her close.

He gently patted her back. "Shhh, calm down Mire-chan, calm down. It was just a dream, just a dream…it will go away."

Sumire continued to cry, hanging onto him, seeking his comfort. And Toru was more than willing to give it. He hummed softly to her an old lullaby his mother used to sing to him, hoping that it would calm down his near-hysterical cousin.

The song worked. Soon Sumire's sobbing was reduced to mere sniffles, until nothing was heard anymore. Toru looked down at her, and realized that she had fallen asleep. _Fallen asleep while crying…_

He carefully tucked her in, smiling down at her all the while. She was truly the little sister he never had, and he always thanked the gods that he had her with him now. He only wished that he could do something for her right now than just hum a song to help her sleep…

_That's the last, _he told himself as he went back to bed. _That is the last time I'm ever going to see a girl cry for whatever reason. That's the last time I'm ever going to let a girl cry like that if there is something I can do to help her. _

~       ~       ~

"Oi, what are you two doing just standing there?!"

Toru snapped out of his thoughts, and turned to the source of the sound. Sumire was glaring at him and Fujima, her foot tapping against the floor in impatience.

Her eyebrow went up slowly in such a way that it almost made Toru cringe. "You know, it won't do you any good to just stand there when the rest of the team is practicing."

Toru grinned, immediately eliciting a small smile from his cousin. "Hai, hai, we're getting to work now, Mire-chan." As he and Fujima resumed their practice, one thought continually circled his mind. _What is wrong with Mire-chan??_

*        *        *

Sumire sighed as she looked over the stats of the day, comparing them with the previous week's records. The writing she had done that day was messy, more like the scribbling of a child when compared to her neat, legible handwriting done the previous week. 

_But how can I avoid it? _Her heart lurched painfully then, all the images from the past week clouding up her mind. Too many things had come together all at once, and she did not like it one bit. It made her feel so confused, so…helpless. _Why did it have to happen now?! Why did he have to come back and ruin my life all over again?! Just seeing him…just seeing him reminds me of what happened two years ago…_

"Ne Sumire…doushitano?"

Surprised, Sumire jerked her head up to look at the speaker, and stared right into Fujima's dark blue eyes. "Eh? Fujima-sempai, what are you doing here?"

Fujima chuckled then. "I was going to ask you the same question. But since you asked first, I was waiting for you."

"Waiting for me? Naze?"

"So I could walk you home."

Sumire looked around, and realized that everyone else had gone. There was no one else in the gym except her and Fujima. And in that instance, she wanted to get away from him, put as much space between the two of them as she could.

_But is that what I really want? _A part of Sumire didn't want her to move away from him. It wanted her to sit close to him, as close as she could get. There was a part of her that so wanted to feel his hand holding hers, to feel his arms around her, to feel his lips against hers…

A gentle hand alighted on her left shoulder then, and she looked up to see Fujima bending over the notebook of records. "Can I have a look at that?"

Unable to speak and unable control the blush that was surely spreading all over her face, Sumire passed him the notebook, trying to avoid making eye contact with him. She heard the scrape of a chair as Fujima pulled one up to sit beside her as he leafed through the notebook. She tried her best not to look at him, rattling off things in a mindless manner.

At last, he smiled, and closed the notebook. "I don't see any mistakes in this one, Sumire. Your record-keeping style really makes it easy for me."

"Well, if that's the case then I should be going," Sumire said quietly as she got up from her chair, and picked up her bag, slinging it over her shoulder as she headed for the door. _I must get as far away as I can from him…any longer and I…I might…_

"Sumire…why are you pushing me away? Why are you so intent on keeping me at arm's length?" Fujima asked, his voice clearly laced with the worry and confusion that he was feeling at that moment. "You weren't like this before…"

Sumire froze, her hand already on the door. She squeezed her bag strap tighter, trying to get a hold on her emotions and keep her voice even. "I'm not sure I know what you mean, Fujima-sempai."

When Fujima didn't respond, she knew that it was a good time to make her escape.She could not stand another second with him, because she was so afraid that she would break and reveal her deepest secrets to him. _No, he cannot find out…he must not find out…_

A hand shot out to grab her shoulder even as she pushed the door open to leave. That hand gently turned her around to face him. Sumire focused her eyes on the floor, looking at her shoes. If she made eye contact, she knew that she would break. And she did not want to. She had been broken one too many times already, and she knew how much it would hurt her in the end. She did not want to feel the pain anymore. She had suffered too much.

But he did not know that, of course, so he continued, torturing her though he did not know it. "Don't go…onegai, Sumire…don't go." His voice was pleading and gentle, everything that Sumire knew she did not deserve from anyone, more so from a man like Fujima. She felt his fingers come around her chin, pushing it upwards so that she was forced to gaze into his eyes. They were like clear, limpid pools of water, and she could see right into his soul. 

What she saw there was heartbreaking. Tenderness as she had never seen or received before, confusion, worry, pain… And what was that? What was that she could see underneath it all? _Love…_

She could not take it any longer. She had to get away from him, spare him – and herself – the trouble and the pain. _I-I cannot…no, I could never… _"STAY AWAY FROM ME!!!!!" She took several steps away from him, wrapping her arms around her body in a shield.

He was stunned, she could tell. But he was also curious. And knowing Fujima-sempai the way she did, she knew that there was no stopping his inquiries now. "Naze, Sumire? Why would you want me to stay away from you?" He took a step closer to her, a small, hesitant step, but it narrowed the gap between them, the gap that Sumire needed to maintain her sanity.

Sumire could not answer. If she said anything at all, she knew that she would tell him of her horrible past, and once she did, he would turn her away. She winced, and looked away from him. _I cannot tell him… I cannot look at him… Oh God, why did it have to be this way?! Why…why did it have to be me?! _

He began talking again, but his voice was more certain, more sure, though the emotion trembled just beneath the surface. "It already feels like forever, Sumire…when I think back on how I first knew you. And when you joined the team as manager, I couldn't have been happier than that day you first came into the gym. I guess that…since then, I couldn't stop thinking about you…"

Sumire froze totally, unable to move. She should have made a run for it now, but she couldn't. Her body wasn't cooperating at all. She knew what he was trying to do, but she could not look at him at all.

And yet, he continued. "Every practice, every game…when you would be cheering us on from the sidelines, I always felt so happy. I felt that I had to be at my best level, that I had to give my best performance because YOU were there, watching me and encouraging me."

He took another step closer, and now she was just an arm's length away from him. "And when you would talk to me, I always listened to the sound of your voice…I always listened to the melody in it, to the words that came out of your mouth because you talked with sense. I always tried to make you laugh because I loved hearing you laugh…" 

Here Fujima trailed off, and he gazed at her, watching her. Sumire could feel his eyes trying to bore through the protective black veil she had created using her hair, trying to shield her eyes from his prying gaze. It felt like a tsunami had come crashing down on her, overwhelming her and making breathing difficult. The silence they had created was more unbearable than any kind of noise. The words would not come out of her throat; her limbs felt as though they had lead weights attached to them; and her wits had suddenly decided to take a vacation during this extremely crucial moment.

And after a while, he spoke again. "Sumire, you're a very special girl. And I don't ever want to see you get hurt. It's hurting me too, when I see you like this. You try to hide the sadness, but I can see it through your smile, I can see it through the mask you always wear. That's why I always try to be close to you…because I want to erase that sadness…

"I guess what I'm trying to say, Sumire, is that I love you. I love you and I care for you a lot. If you don't feel the same way, I would understand. But that won't stop me from loving you, Sumire. That won't stop me from loving the person you are…"

Sumire's heart stopped beating almost completely, only to return with a triple-time beat. She felt as if her lungs had been squeezed together to prevent air from entering or escaping and every air passage struggled to heave in more oxygen.

Thoughts spiraled through her like a tornado, dizzying and confusing Sumire. What should she say? That she was happy? Should she be proud that Shoyo's most popular guy actually had feelings for her, a lowly freshman? That she actually had him hook, line and sinker? Were his words sincere? Was he really being honest?

Her mind and heart were having a debate going on as to how she should react. It would have been okay if they were only two, but both her heart and mind were subdivided, creating more chaos in her mind.

_Does he love me, _she silently wondered, scarcely daring to believe what she had heard, when a cold voice spoke up.

_No, he doesn't. He's using you,_ it said, cruelty laced in its tone. That statement alone planted the feeling of doubt in Sumire's mind. A feeling she wanted to erase but couldn't ignore. 

_What if he does love me,_ she argued back, trying to justify that part of her that wished for love. Feelings warred, thoughts gave way to uncertainty, and Sumire felt herself slowly succumbing to all of them.

_You don't deserve him,_ said another voice, equally as cruel and as cold as the first.

_But what about what I think,_ she protested, still wanting to keep a hold on her feelings, though they were slowly slipping away. 

_You were raped. Do you think he actually cares for you because of who you are,_ sneered a third voice, taunting her weakness.

_Yes, he does,_ she insisted, not wanting to hear anymore, but too hypnotized not to listen.

_No, he does not! He'll leave you after he finds out about what happened,_ the first voice spoke up again.

_What should I do?_

_Walk away. He deserves someone better than you. Someone who hasn't been touched,_ suggested the second, half-cruel and half-sympathetic now. 

Tears stung the back of her eyes, but she had to do it. It would be better for the both of them. It would be better that he forget about her. He did not deserve her, as what those voices had said. She was unworthy of his love and he would be wasting his time on her.

She summoned up her courage, and forced the words to get out of her throat. "I'm sorry, Fujima-sempai, I can't…" She turned to him slowly, ever so slowly, trying to find the courage to hurt him in what was perhaps the cruelest way possible. The emotions that were swirling in the deep blue depths of his eyes caused tremors to pass through her, but she steeled her heart and delivered the coup d' grace.

"I can't love you back!!!"

AUTHOR'S OOC:

Harle cackles evilly: MUAHAHAHAHA!!! CLIFFHANGER!!!!!!!

Maia whacks Harle upside on the head: Baka!!! You know how much readers HATE cliffhangers!!! You're one of those people too, and you don't have the decency to AVOID these things?!?!

Harle shrugs: I know that cliffhangers can be annoying, but this chapter was getting LONG!!! What better place to cut it than at that part?!

Chibi-Sumire whimpers: I don't like being left in limbo like this… Do you know how difficult it is to maintain this face until the next chapter?!

Chibi-Fujima narrows eyes at Harle: Mire-chan's right; you really DO like torturing your characters!!! And to think, I'm not even one of your OC's!!!

Harle waves hand: Whatever. turns to readers Oh yeah, and dear readers, I must tell you that some of the dialogue I took from a lemon fic written by Mainime (a.k.a. Maia ^_^), which I asked her to write specifically for this fic. I'll put it up as an extension to this fic, but only when I'm through with this one. So watch out for that one, okay? Anyway, I know you guys are eager to get on to the next chapter, so get to it!!!


	12. Chapter Eleven: Revelation...Aishiteru

Chapter Eleven: Revelation… Aishiteru 

"I can't love you back!!!"

Kenji felt as if he had been hit by a ton of bricks. Her declaration hurt more than a punch to the gut or a kick to the groin. He felt as if he had been cut in half, dunked in a tank full of acid and left for the carrion birds to eat. In fact, not even those situations could describe the pain he was feeling. It ate at him, making his chest constrict rather painfully with each inhalation of breath he took.

He was even wondering why he was still standing at this point, since the pain was enough to knock any normal man out. But he wanted to know why, so he asked her. "Naze, Sumire? Why can't you love me back?"

Her eyes drifted once more to the floor, and Fujima had to wonder what it was about him that made it so painful for her to look. Her voice was soft when she responded to his question. "I don't deserve you, Fujima-sempai."

Fujima was shocked. What?! She didn't deserve him?! If anything, HE didn't deserve her! He didn't deserve the encouragement, the kind words, or the smiles he received from her! He had failed her one too many times already and he didn't deserve her…

"What are you talking about, Sumire? I'm the one who doesn't deserve you, not the other way around. You…you have been so kind to me, kind enough to encourage me and smile at me, and I haven't done anything at all to earn that kindness. After…after that game with Shohoku, I thought you would look down on me…because I let my pride get in the way, we lost the game…and I didn't think you would still offer me more encouragement after that… Iie, I don't think I deserve you, Sumire…"

Her laughter was cold and mirthless. Even as she laughed tears sprang from her eyes, and fell down her cheeks in crystalline waterfalls. She did not bother to wipe them away. 

"Kuso, stop your romantic notions! I'm not perfect, I'm not special, and I'm not who you think I am!" she yelled at him, her eyes sheeted thickly with her tears.

Pain, sharp, vicious pain, gripped Fujima's heart then as he gazed at Sumire. This was what lay beneath the smiling masks and the cheerful laughter: tears of misery and sobs of suffering. He wanted so very badly to comfort her, to alleviate her torture. He wanted to see her smile again. 

He walked up to her slowly, reaching out to her face as he attempted to wipe away her tears. "Sumire…"

Sumire slapped his hand away then. "Stop trying to get close to me! It won't amount to anything! You don't know what I've been through, even if you try to understand!" 

The emotions now were so intense that Fujima could not control himself. He gripped Sumire hard by the shoulders, forced her to look up at him. "I would if you would just tell me, Sumire!" he yelled, shaking her shoulders none too roughly. "Whatever it is, you can't keep running away from it!"

Sumire remained silent for the longest time, the tears still running down her cheeks. She did not even look at him anymore, as though there was something in her soul that she was afraid Fujima would see through her eyes.

She had to know that she had no reason to fear him. She had to know that he cared for her so deeply that he now despised himself for making her cry. 

"Tell me, Sumire," Fujima urged, cupping her face in his hands and gently wiping away her tears with his thumbs. "Tell me so I can understand…"

She looked up at him then, their eyes finally making contact, blue clashing against brown. The next words she spoke would forever remain emblazoned in his mind:

"I was raped, Fujima-sempai! Once upon a time, roughly two years ago, I was grabbed from behind on the streets, bound and gagged, dragged into a crumbling warehouse, and raped!" Sumire shouted, pulling away from him.  

He had never been so shocked in his life as he was now. He couldn't even move. All he could do was stare at her, taking in what she had said. And then he became more and more angry with himself. If only he had protected her, she wouldn't have suffered. If only he had been there, she wouldn't have gone through a nightmare alone. 

Whoever had done this to her would pay, whoever the bastard was would pay. He swore then that he would find that lowlife and torture him for putting Sumire through hell. His eyes flashed fire, his jaw worked and he ached to smash his fists into something hard.

As he fought back the anger that was threatening to boil to the surface, she turned her back to him, hugging herself protectively. "Now you know why I can't love you and you can't love me, Fujima-sempai," she whispered sadly, taking a step farther away from him, widening the gap. 

That snapped him back to reality. Did she honestly think that he would despise her for that? He needed her, he loved her, and he didn't want to abandon her. He was already too much in love with her to even think of leaving. 

When he tried to reach out to hold her, she took another step away from him. "I love you, Sumire," was all that he said, his voice thick with emotion.

"Don't say how much you're sorry for me! I don't want you to love me out of pity!" she cried, wrenching her hand out of his grasp when he reached out to hold her.

"I would never love someone out of pity, Sumire!" Fujima yelled back, his voice suddenly hoarse. "I love you because I simply do…" his voice softened to a huskier pitch, but she could hear the pain in his voice. 

"I told you the truth, Sumire…I love you with all my heart. No conditions, no agreements. I just love you," he continued, his eyes begging her not to turn him away. 

Sumire uttered a small, high-pitched sound, before she finally gave in to the sobs she had obviously been struggling to hold back. Fujima gathered her into his embrace then, holding her close, soothing her with soft whispers. Her hands came up to grip his shoulders, holding her in place.

He kissed her gently on the forehead as he pulled back to gaze down at her. "I love you, Sumire. I love you and that's all that matters to me," he smiled. "I don't give a damn about what happened in the past. I only want to be allowed to love you."

*        *        *

Sumire felt her heart suddenly do a back flip. _He means it…he really means it… _His blue eyes shone with a quiet confidence that told Sumire that she would never have to fight battles alone. He loved her. He truly, wholly loved her no matter what.

They were standing so close to each other then. Fujima had his arms wrapped around her waist, while her hands were clinging to his broad shoulders. She gazed up at him, and watched as he slowly leaned down to her, ready to kiss her. Her eyes widened a moment with the realization of what was about to come, but her eyes slowly drifted closed, her lips parting slightly in anticipation.

His warm breath caressed her lips as he whispered her name, "Sumire…"

Their lips met in a tender, feather-light kiss, and the moment their mouths touched, Sumire felt her heart suddenly go soaring with euphoria. Never had she experienced such a heavenly sensation, and she almost thought that she had died and had gone to Paradise.

Fujima broke the kiss then, and took a deep breath before gazing down at her. Sumire stared back up at him, her eyes once more misted with tears, but they were no longer the tears of sadness she had been shedding so copiously moments ago. They were tears of joy.

Fujima smiled gently as he cupped her face in his hands again, drying her tears. "Shhh…hush Sumire, hush…"

Sumire giggled, and lifted her right hand, pressing it against Fujima's left and nuzzling her cheek against his palm. "I'm okay, Fujima-sempai…"

He chuckled then as he kissed the tip of her nose, sapphire eyes sparkling with mirth. "Now Mire-chan, there's no longer any need for formalities. If you're going to be my girlfriend, you might as well call me something that's not as stiff as 'Fujima-sempai'."

Sumire had to blush at his use of her nickname, which was more like an endearment used only by her father and Toru. "Hai… If you're going to be calling me Mire-chan all the time then I suppose I should call you Kenji-kun."

The sudden twinkling in his eye told her that he liked it. "Hmmm, I like the sound of that," he whispered as he held her close again. "Actually, you could call me anything and I would still like it, as long as it came from your mouth."

Sumire laughed, a pure, happy laugh, for the first time in two years. "Kenji-kun, stop that!" She glanced out the windows of the gym, and yelped. _Yikes, it's very late already!! Toru-kun is SOOO going to get mad at me… _"Ahh, Kenji-kun, I think that it's about time we went home. Toru-kun's probably tearing his hair out right about now…"

Fujima sighed. "Hai, I suppose you're right." He picked up his bag then, while Sumire did the same. Fujima moved to turn off the lights, and then he rejoined Sumire by the door. The two of them exited the gym, leaving it dark and quiet.

*        *        *

Toru was panicking. Toru was DEFINITELY panicking. He looked at the clock, and watched as the hands shifted to eight o' clock. _Two hours. It's been two hours and Fujima hasn't brought Mire-chan back… _He started to fume at his best friend. _Kuso!! If Fujima seduced her I SWEAR I am going to strangle him and not regret doing it!!! _

He could hear laughter out on the street then, and he immediately ran to the living room window to check who was approaching.

Sumire and Fujima were walking up to the door then, laughing and talking with each other. However, Toru noticed something completely different that night: Fujima's arm was around Sumire's waist, keeping her close, while Sumire seemed to have one arm looped around his. Overall, they looked like a happy couple coming in from a date.

Toru felt his anger melting away at the sight of them together. What was more; happiness and relief replaced it. _Looks like Fujima made his move at last, _he thought with a sigh, looking at the smile that was displayed on Sumire's face. It was a different kind of smile altogether from the ones she usually gave before. It lit up her whole face and made her eyes sparkle in even the dimmest of lighting conditions.

Fujima and Sumire stood on the porch for a moment, talking, and then, right in front of Toru's eyes, they kissed. Now Toru was grinning like a madman. He was happy for his cousin, since she seemed so pleased and content, while he was happy for his best friend because the poor guy had finally managed to get a girlfriend. And a VERY nice one at that.

He turned away from the window when he heard the door open, knowing that Sumire would head for the living room first. When she walked in, he smirked, and asked, "Do you have any idea how late it is, Mire-chan?"

Like he expected, Sumire only sighed as she flopped down on the couch beside him. She snuggled up closer to him, a happy smile on her face. "I know, and I'm sorry, but I'm just too happy right now. If you're going to get angry at me then it won't work, cause I'm too happy."

Toru sighed, and put an arm around her. "I know, I know. I saw you and Fujima on the porch a while ago."

She snapped straight up, looking at him with wide eyes, a blush tinting her cheeks. "You…what?"

"I saw you and Fujima," Toru replied. He grinned then, trying to put Sumire at ease. "Don't worry, Mire-chan, I'm not angry at him or you for being together." He winked. "And hey, if my best friend ends up as an in-law of mine, I'm not complaining!"

"TORU-KUN!!!"

AUTHOR'S OOC:

Harle squeals: WAAAAIIIII!!!!!!!! They're just so CUTE together!!!!!

Maia sighs: Hai, hai. They are a perfect match…

Chibi-Sumire blushing: You really think so?

Harle nods: Yup. You're so sweet together that ants actually come after you!!

Chibi-Fujima laughs in a relieved manner as he glanced at top scenes: Well at least you removed the scene with Sumire and me in the gym…

Chibi-Toru eyes Fujima: What scene are you talking about?

Chibi-Fujima gulps and blushes: Nani? Nothing, nothing at all…

Harle snickers as she opens the lemon scene: Here Toru, take a look…

Chibi-Toru glances at lemon scene, and a vein starts throbbing in his forehead. When he's through, he turns to Fujima: FUJIMA!!! What did I tell you about touching my cousin?! Now you're going to be TOAST!!!!!!

Chibi-Fujima: Uh oh… takes off running

Harle laughs: Oh well, looks like we have to move on to the next chapter!!! Oh yeah, and if any of you want to read about that scene which caused Toru to go ballistic, check it out at http://www.fanfiction.net/read.php?storyid=937710. Hope you enjoy!!!


	13. Chapter Twelve: Rumor Mill

Chapter Twelve: Rumor Mill 

The word spread like wildfire around Shoyo High School that Monday morning. 

"Did you hear?!"

"No, what?"

"It's about Fujima Kenji!"

"What about him?"

"You know the manageress of the basketball club?"

"Hai. Hanagata Sumire, a freshman, also the top student of that level. She's the cousin of Hanagata Toru."

"Well, she and Fujima-san are already a couple!!"

"HONTO NI?! How did you find out?!"

"I saw them walking through the school gate this morning, and their arms were looped together! And what was more, I saw Fujima-san actually KISS Sumire's hand!!! He just picked it up and kissed it!!!"

Sumire could literally feel the hundreds of curious eyes that were following her and Fujima as the two of them walked down the first-year corridor. Fujima had insisted that he drop off his girlfriend at her class before he went to his own.

Fujima grinned down at her, and nudged her gently. "What's the matter, Mire-chan? You're blushing."

"Ah…iie, nothing's wrong Kenji-kun. It's just that…well…all these people…they're staring at us."

Fujima shrugged. "And what's so bad about that? You're not ashamed of me, are you?"

"No, of course not!" Sumire exclaimed, shaking her head vigorously. "It's just that…you're such a popular guy and all the girls like you and…well…I don't think they're happy that I was the one who ended up snagging you."

Fujima chuckled then, and tightened his hold on her waist, pulling her closer. "Let them be jealous. You're the one I like, and there's nothing they can do about it. If they do anything to you, just tell me and I'll make sure they won't be able to do it again."

"Hai," Sumire answered softly.

They had arrived at Sumire's classroom then, and Fujima sighed. "I suppose this is where I leave you for today. I'll come by for you later this afternoon so we can go to practice together, okay?"

Sumire smiled up at her boyfriend. "Hai, Kenji-kun. I'll be waiting for you."

Fujima smiled, and then, in front of all the freshmen present at that moment, he gently placed a kiss on her cheek. He pulled back, and brushed her hair away from her face. "Ja ne, Mire-chan. I'll see you this afternoon." And with that, he walked away.

Sumire sighed as she walked to her seat, arranging her things the moment she did so. _Oh Kenji-kun… _It touched her that he liked bragging about her being his girlfriend. She felt that if he could climb to the top of Mount Everest and shout out to the entire world that they were together, he'd do it. However, she wasn't so sure how the rest of the female population of Shoyo would handle the news…

"Oi, Sumire-chan."

Sumire looked up, and saw Reiko, Ayame and Yuki all staring down at her with narrowed eyes. She gulped, then answered, "Nani? Minna, what's up with the slit-eyed look?"

"Why didn't you tell us that you and Fujima-sempai were together?!" Reiko demanded as she grabbed Sumire by the shoulders and shook her, hard. 

Yuki bobbed her head up and down rapidly. "Hai, hai! How long were you going to keep it a secret from us, eh?"

"Reiko-chan, stop shaking me, onegai!" Sumire whimpered. When Reiko let her go, Sumire answered Yuki's question. "And I wasn't going to keep it a secret from you. I only became his girlfriend last night."

Ayame grinned broadly. "Tell us what happened, onegai!! And tell us every single detail of what happened!!"

Sumire told her friends, though she DID make up a story that excluded her rape story. _I don't want them to find out…not yet, not yet…_

When they were finished, her three friends sighed. "That was so romantic…" Yuki whispered, her eyes sparkling.

"Hai," Reiko said with a nod. She sighed. "You're so lucky Sumire-chan. Imagine having Fujima-san for your boyfriend…"

"I didn't really expect it, but it makes me happy," Sumire said. 

Ayame smiled. "There will be a lot of girls who will be jealous, but I don't think that's going to be a problem. You're the most popular girl in school now, Sumire-chan."

Sumire sighed even as the teacher came in. "Though I don't think I'm really going to like it…"

*        *        *

Fujima blinked in surprise when he heard the news. "Eh? Are you sure about this, Toru?"

Toru nodded as he walked down the halls. It was already late afternoon, and the two of them were going towards the freshman wing to pick up Sumire. There was a small smile on his face that told Fujima he really thought it was a brilliant joke. "Hai. Roughly one-third of the male sophomore population and one-half the male freshman population are depressed that you had to end up with Mire-chan."

Fujima chuckled, and shook his head. "I always knew she was popular, but I guess she didn't really know it herself. The way she talks about herself, you would think that she was the most invisible girl in the freshman level!"

"With her intelligence? I don't think so. She's famous for being smart."

Fujima looked ahead down the hall, and found Sumire standing in the hall with her friends, talking and laughing about something. Her smile seemed to dazzle, and her eyes glimmered in the afternoon light. She seemed more beautiful to him now than ever before.

He smiled as he approached. "Konnichiwa, Mire-chan."

Sumire looked up, and smiled broadly at him. "Konnichiwa, Kenji-kun." She turned to Toru, and smiled as well. "Konnichiwa, Toru-kun."

Fujima returned her greeting with a kiss on the cheek, which made her blush almost instantaneously. He had no qualms about doing this in public. _What would I have to be ashamed of? _He liked lavishing attention on Sumire, watching the envious stares of the boys who had crushes on her. He also liked watching the other girls look at his girlfriend with envy. He knew that a lot of them had looked down on his Sumire and this was just his own way of paying them back for her. _Hmph, you thought that Mire-chan was just an ordinary girl? Think again. This 'ordinary girl' is MY girlfriend, not any of you._

Toru smiled as he patted his cousin. "Konnichiwa, Mire-chan. I hope we weren't interrupting you girls…"

"Iie, it's just fine," said one of the girls, with short brown hair and bright green eyes. "We were just leaving, ne, minna?"

The two girls nodded, and after saying proper goodbyes to Sumire, they went off. Sumire sighed, and turned to them then. "Well, looks like we should go to the gym now, ne?"

"Hai," Fujima answered cheerfully as Sumire looped her arm willingly through his. Toru just sighed, and walked behind them, and Fujima was grateful for that.

When they got to the gym, however, the members of the club, who had heard the rumors all throughout the morning but hadn't seen any proof of them, were all whispering and speculating about whether they were true or not. Until they walked in, that is. There was a lot of teasing and ribbing and winking for the first thirty minutes, but then Fujima reminded them once more that HE was coach, and that they had a LOT of practicing to do. That gave him and Sumire a little time to themselves, though of course they both had their work to do.

Once more, Fujima got a taste of Sumire's strong-willed streak. Sometime in the middle of the practice, after quite a bit of tickling, teasing and hand-kissing (something which Fujima REALLY liked doing, since it always made Sumire blush in the prettiest of ways), Sumire told him point-blank that if he was going to keep on doing what he was doing without practicing, then she'd be more than happy to break up with him at that moment. 

Of course, Fujima knew she wouldn't break up with him, but he had to humor her. And she DID look a little angry already…which was the LAST thing he wanted to happen, next to her getting hurt.

Toru snickered as Fujima jogged up to him. "Told you she had a lot of sense."

"Hai, hai," Fujima said with a grin and a nod. _And I adore her all the more because of that. _And with that, he continued with the practice.

*        *        *

After the initial shock of finding out that the team captain/coach of Shoyo and the manageress were together, the school rumor mill was silent for a while.

That is, until the next Monday rolled in.

Sumire paled as she listened to what Yuki and Reiko told her. "Nani?"

Reiko nodded. "I heard it this morning. A group of senior girls were whispering about it." Her face became concerned. "Is it true?"

"What is true?" Sumire asked, though she felt like there was something behind all of this. _What could be this new rumor be about? _

"That you were raped."

AUTHOR'S OOC:

Harle grins: DUN DUN DUN DUUUUUN!!!! And the school finds out all about it!

Maia shakes head: What can I say? You ARE evil!

Harle shrugs: The more I like a character, the more I mistreat her. That's what you call "tough love".

Chibi-Sumire wails: But how am I going to go through with this NOW?! My reputation is now being questioned!!!

Harle smiles: Don't you worry. A lot of people say I have a good sense of poetic justice. And besides, you're a good liar, aren't you? You can do it.

Chibi-Fujima frowns: My girlfriend's reputation is being questioned, and you're not going to do anything about it?!

Maia waves hands around: Maa, maa, calm down Fujima! Like Harle said, she has a good reason for doing this! Just be patient, okay? This whole rape thing is actually the reason why she created this story in the first place. She wanted to see how you would handle falling in love with a girl who was raped. Like I said before, never been touched, never been kissed, but VERY damaged goods. So just keep cool, okay?

Chibi-Fujima continues to frown: …

Harle rolls up sleeves: Okay, now comes the part with a lot of angst and drama! It's Mitsui's time to be tortured-

Chibi-Mitsui frowns as he cuts in: And I will forever resent you for this. I would NEVER, under any circumstance, do-

Harle draws self up to full height, glaring down at Mitsui: SHUT UP!!!!!!!!! cell phone starts beeping Oops, wait, text message!! reads text message, and suddenly goes extremely calm

Chibi-Mitsui blinks: Nani? What's happened to her?

Maia frowns: Something's wrong… Hey Harle, what happened?

Harle passes Maia her cell phone: Just received a business card and, well…you take a look…

Maia takes cell phone, reads whatever is on the screen, and jaw promptly drops wide open: I don't believe it… WHO WOULD HAVE THE F*CKING AUDACITY FOR THIS?!?!?!

All Chibis still blinking: Nani? Naze?

Harle extremely calm: I just received a business card via my cell phone from some anonymous person who has read my fics. He/she said, and I quote: "Crap fics Harley". 

Maia starts throwing objects around: DAMN HIM/HER TO F*CKING HELL!! I WANT TO SHOVE A FIFTEEN-FOOT BAMBOO POLE UP THAT B*ST*RD'S TIGHT A**!! DAMN THE SON OF A B*TCH!!!!!!! grabs Harle by the collar GIMME THE B*ST*RD'S NUMBER, AND I SWEAR I'LL HUNT HIM/HER DOWN!!!!!!!

Harle gulps, knowing that it is useless to calm Maia down when she is worked up: Uh…0920-604-32-84…but Maia, you're seriously not-

Maia whips out her own cell phone, and starts punching keys madly: He/She won't get away with this I swear… looks up at other readers Oh yeah, and I know you guys won't stand for this blatant insult, so go ahead and give the a**hole a taste of his/her own medicine!!! Those of you who are Filipino and know the power of text messaging, GO FOR IT NOW!!!! WE SHALL AVENGE HARLE!!!!!!!!

Harle sighs: Oh dear… Anyway people, what Maia said up there is not of my making: she's the one who said those things. I told her (via text) about the whole incident and that was her response, curses and all. And it was by her request that I put up this "call for vengeance" thing… Anyway, I think now would be a wise time to go to the next chapter, ne?

Maia continues to mutter while punching the keys of her cell phone: Stupid son of a b*tch, you idiotic a**hole… No one insults my friend and gets away with it…


	14. Chapter Thirteen: The Truth to Rumors

Chapter Thirteen: The Truth to Rumors 

Toru felt the blood boiling in his veins. _How dare they,_ he thought as he glared at the small knot of whispering girls who were talking and stealing glances at him occasionally. _How dare they say such things of Mire-chan?! _

Fujima tapped him on the arm. "Toru, what's the matter?"

"Come on, let's get out of here," Toru muttered as he strode out of the classroom, unable to bear listening to those girls talk about his cousin the way they were. 

When they were already out in the hall, Fujima turned to him, his expression extremely puzzled. "Naze, Toru? What's going on?"

Toru's voice was deadly calm, though beneath that his entire being seethed with anger. "Could you believe that there are now rumors that say Mire-chan was raped?" He laughed mirthlessly. "Kuso, some of these people are just too damn desperate! Do they REALLY think that Mire-chan was raped?! It's absolutely ridiculous!!!"

Fujima was just silent, staring at the floor, hands clenched as his sides. Toru grinned half-heartedly. _Looks like he's just as angry as I am. Why shouldn't he be? These people are questioning the honor of his GIRLFRIEND, for heaven's sake! _He reached out, and patted his best friend on the shoulder. "Yeah, I know how angry you are too, and I understand. But they're just rumors, right? They'll fade away in a few weeks…"

Fujima remained silent for a long, long while. In the end, though, he grinned, and nodded. "Hai, I suppose you're right." He glanced at his watch. "Looks like it's time for practice. Come on, let's go get Mire-chan and go to the gym already."

*        *        *

All through the walk towards Sumire's classroom, Fujima's thoughts were spinning out of control. _How could they have found out?! _He was quite sure that they were alone in the gym when he and Sumire confessed, so no one could have been eavesdropping. Unless…

He whacked himself mentally for being so stupid. _Kenji no baka!!! You two were yelling at each other so loudly that probably the other students who were still on campus at that time could hear you!!! _He moaned softly, so that Toru wouldn't hear. _Kuso, and I bet that Mire-chan will know by now…_

When they got to Sumire's classroom, they found her standing outside the door, her face looking quite troubled. When she spotted them, she ran over to them, her eyes worried. "I hope you-"

"We heard," Toru cut in, and Sumire's face paled instantly.

"Oh God, no way, no way…" Sumire muttered as she placed a trembling hand over her mouth in shock.

Fujima approached her, and put an arm around her waist. "It's going to be okay, Mire-chan…"

Toru nodded. "Hai, Kenji's right. I mean, it's just a rumor, right? There's no truth in it. It will fade away in a few weeks. Besides, it's such a ridiculous idea for them to say that you were raped! They could have thought of something better, really…"

While Toru continued to rant about the injustice of it all and how much it was hurting Sumire, Fujima glanced at his girlfriend's eyes, sensing the worry in them. _Is she going to tell him now? Will she admit at last to her most guarded secret? _

He understood why Sumire kept that particular secret to herself for so long. In Japan – even in the Philippines, now that he thought about it – girls who were raped were generally discriminated against. They were viewed as being "unclean", or something like that. When he was young and quite naïve (more than he was now), he held the same view, but that gradually faded away into just a small thing as he grew older and more open-minded. That small thing was shattered completely when Sumire told him that she herself had been raped. Now, he believed that rapists were the most heartless and cold-blooded of criminals in the world. And the one who had raped Sumire – if and when he found out who the bastard was – would suffer the most at his hands.

Sumire didn't say anything about it, though. Not for quite a while. She seemed to proceed with everything as she usually did, though now Fujima knew that she was just trying to hide something. In the meantime, though, he just went along with the little charade and played like usual.

It was towards the end of practice, when everyone but he, Toru and Sumire had gone home, when she finally spoke up.

Sumire turned to her cousin then, and said, "Toru-kun, I…I guess you would like to know about those rumors…"

Toru laughed as he arranged the things in his bag. "Don't worry, Mire-chan. I know they're just rumors. They aren't true, ne? They'll die down in a couple of weeks or so."

"That's not exactly it, Toru-kun…"

Toru glanced up at her then, a confused expression in his eyes. "Nani? What do you mean, Mire-chan?"

Sumire bowed her head, and Fujima could see the tears threatening to fall from her eyes. "They're not just rumors, Toru-kun… They're true."

*        *        *

The silence pounded in Sumire's ears, echoing the time when she and Fujima had a shouting match in this same place, and at almost the same time. _Déjà vu… _

Toru laughed. "Oh come on, Mire-chan! Don't give me that! You're just joking around, aren't you?"

Sumire looked up at her cousin, her eyes pleading. "Do you think I would joke about something like this? Toru-kun, I was really raped. Remember the time two years ago, when I first came to visit? You remember the night when I went out for a walk and came back home with blood on my skirt? That's when it happened."

Silence. And then: 

"WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME WHEN YOU CAME BACK?!" Toru yelled. His face was contorted in an extreme combination of rage and frustration. "WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME THE TRUTH?!

Sumire winced then, and was somewhat comforted when Fujima embraced her. _Kenji-kun…_

"Toru, calm down," Fujima told his best friend. "It's hurting Mire-chan, can't you see that?"

Sumire looked up at her cousin through tear-misted eyes. "Gomen nasai, Toru-kun. I just…I was…so scared then. I wanted to tell you, but I thought you'd just get angry at me and blame me for everything and-"

"Gods Mire-chan, why would I do that?!" Toru walked up to her then, knelt down, and looked at her straight in the eye. He was crying too when he looked back at her, and those tears made the ones in her own eyes fall down her cheeks.

Toru continued talking then. "Why do you think I would blame you for something that wasn't your fault? Why would I be angry at you for something that you didn't want to happen to you?"

Sumire choked back a sob. "Everyone would get angry at me," she whispered as she threw herself into her cousin's arms, letting him hold her. "You heard and saw how everyone acted when they heard the rumor, ne? They were all staring at me and looking like I was the filthiest being on the face of the planet… They looked at me as though I was some kind of…of whore!"

She felt Fujima place a hand on her back. "No, you're nothing like that, nothing like that at all! It wasn't your fault that it happened…"

"If I hadn't gone out that night, if I'd just listened to Toru-kun and stayed home, then it wouldn't have happened!" wailed Sumire as she clutched tighter to her cousin.

She felt Toru shake his head and rub her back gently. "It's not your fault, Mire-chan, not your fault… It never was, and never will be. And as for those other people…don't listen to them. They don't know anything about you, and they have no right to judge you. We can pretend that it's just a rumor, if you'd like…that way they'll stop talking about it and looking at you the way they do now."

Sumire nodded slowly as she pulled away from Toru. She sniffled once, and smiled. "Arigatou, Toru-kun, Kenji-kun."

Fujima smiled, and put an arm around her shoulders. "You're going to be just fine, Mire-chan. Just ignore them. They've got nothing better to talk about."

Sumire smiled up at her boyfriend, letting him kiss her on the cheek. 

But then, Toru spoke up. "Who did it, Mire-chan?"

_Huh? _Sumire turned to Toru, who was looking at her seriously. "Nani?"

Toru stared back at her, his eyes suddenly angry black pools. "I said, who did it?"

Sumire bit her lip. Fujima was now staring at her as if he wanted to know too. _Should I tell them? _

She sighed. _Yes I should. They have the right to know. There is no use to hide this secret for any longer. _She took a deep breath, held it for a moment, and then said, "It was Mitsui Hisashi."

AUTHOR'S OOC:

Harle gasps: Oh my God, Mitsui's going to be in SOOOO much trouble!!!

Chibi-Fujima and Chibi-Toru cracking their knuckles: Like hell he will!!!!

Maia holds the two guys back: Hey, hey, take it easy!!!

Chibi-Toru pulls out a Magnum: There's no going easy on that guy!!!! I SWEAR I am going to shoot him the minute I see him!!!!

Chibi-Fujima loads rocket launcher: No one rapes my Mire-chan and gets away with it unscathed. points to more guns and rocket launchers And there's more where that came from…

Chibi-Sumire blinks at the wide array of weaponry: My God, where did you get those?!

Chibi-Fujima smiles sheepishly, and points towards the U.S Ministry of Defense Armory for Top-Secret Weapons: Uh…there?

Harle gapes: Okay…they just raided a U.S armory…looks around… Hey you guys, did you see any good sniper rifles in there?

Chibi-Toru nods: Hai. Check towards the back. Why, what are you doing to use it for?

Harle smiles evilly: I'm going to hunt down Sendoh the Evil Grinning Hentai (please don't kill me Sendoh fans! It's just that Sendoh's smile is way too creepy).

Maia smiles evilly as well: Hey, good idea. Any more rocket launchers in there?

Chibi-Fujima nods and smiles: Hai. First rack on the left, top shelf. There's ammo in the boxes around there too.

Harle and Maia nod together: Hai! Thanks you guys!!! dash off

Chibi-Sumire runs after them: Hey, chotto matte kudasai!!!! I want to get Sendoh too!!!!

Chibi-Mitsui glances at Sendoh: Oi Sendoh, I think now would be a good time to run.

Chibi-Sendoh nods: Good idea. Mitsui and Sendoh run away

Chibi-Fujima grins charmingly at readers while balancing the rocket launcher on his shoulder: Well, since neither Maia-sama nor Harle-sama is around to introduce the next chapter, I guess that responsibility falls on me this time. So go ahead and keep reading, minna!! And don't forget to review!!! Harle-sama writes better the more reviews she gets Toru nods and grins in the background… Ja ne!!!


	15. Chapter Fourteen: Final Revelations

Chapter Fourteen: Final Revelations 

It was just another practice day at Shohoku High School. They were preparing for their match against Kainan, and they didn't have a lot of time left to them. They had to hurry up and train or else they'd show a weak front when faced with the prefecture's best team.

Mitsui dribbled the ball as he eluded Sakuragi for the nth time that day, and shot. The ball arched high through the air, going right through the basket and securing three points for his team in their scrimmage match. He smirked as he landed on his feet again. _You're just too easy to predict, Sakuragi. _

Just then, however, the door to the gym slid open, revealing two taller figures and one smaller, slimmer one. The first two were obviously guys, while the third was apparently a girl.

Temporarily blinded by the sunlight silhouetting the three figures, Mitsui had to blink to clear his eyesight. _Nani? What's going on here? Who are these guys? _

After a moment of standing in the doorway, the two bigger figures moved away from the door and into the shade of the gym, revealing themselves to be… _Fujima Kenji and Hanagata Toru of Shoyo?! What are they doing here?! _

Sakuragi snickered as he looked at Fujima. "Oi benchwarmer, what are you doing here? Still sore that you lost to us, eh? Well you're never going to win not when the tensai is around! NYAHAHAHAHA!!!"

Hanagata turned to Sakuragi, and shot him a piercing glare. "We have no business with you. We came here to talk to Mitsui Hisashi."

The gym went deadly silent. Huffing, Mitsui stepped forward. _What could they possibly want from me? _"I'm here. What do you want from me?"

The glare that Fujima shot in his direction made him cringe slightly. The fire in them was so intense that Mitsui almost thought that a laser beam would come out to burn him to a crisp. "About time you came forward, Mitsui. We didn't come here to fight or to argue about the last match. This is something entirely personal, concerning someone dear to both me and Toru." He moved away slightly. "Time to face your past, Mitsui."

And Mitsui's blood ran cold in his veins as he watched the girl he had raped two years ago step forward. There was no expression on her face; it was merely blank. "Konnichiwa, Mitsui."

"This girl is my cousin, Hanagata Sumire," Hanagata spoke then, his voice utterly cold. "The very same girl you raped two years ago."

If the gym was silent moments ago, then all the more so now. It was as if everyone had stopped breathing entirely. No one spoke for a very, very, long time. Mitsui could only stare at her, unable to comprehend the fact that his past was coming back to haunt him – and with a vengeance at that. _Why? Why did it have to be now?! And why did I even have to do it? _He cleared his throat, and began, "Hanagata-san, I'm sorry for what I did to you…if there is absolutely anything I could do…"

Sumire shook her head. "Apologize? I don't know if I can accept that… Can you turn back the past, Mitsui-san?"

Mitsui gulped, and shook his head. He more or less knew where this was going. _Kuso…_ "Iie, I can't…"

"And that's precisely why I cannot accept your apology." Her blank eyes gazed at him, unnerving him to no end. "For every day of the past two years, I had to live a lie, pretending that nothing had ever happened to me. After you raped me I knew that I had to hide everything, that I had to lie and pretend to make sure that it never happened. For two years I was a liar. I lied to my peers, to my teachers, to my friends, to my parents… Can you imagine how hard that is? Trying to live a lie for two years of your life? Trying to pretend like nothing really happened…?"

Her pitch rose slightly in anger as she spoke. "For two years, for two entire years, I would sob in bed and tell myself I was worthless. I lived in a world of fear and sadness, while on the outside I showed a mask that was happy and cheerful, that seemed to say nothing was wrong. I could not accept the love of anyone because I was afraid they would turn their backs on me. I was afraid to tell my parents because I thought they would disown me. I was afraid to tell my friends because I thought that they would abandon me. I lied to the world because I thought it was the only way I could keep what I had.

"But not anymore. Someone special to me has shown me that there is no reason for me to go on lying to myself and to others. That person gave me love, friendship, trust, and confidence in myself…everything that you took away from me that night two years ago. But there are some things that cannot be returned… You cannot give me back my innocence, Mitsui. You cannot give me back the peace of mind I lost because of my constant lying. You cannot give me back the trust my parents and friends had in me before it happened. You cannot give me back my happiness. You cannot give me back the beautiful dreams I lost, because they were replaced by nightmares of that night. 

"There are so many things you can't give back to me. They are things that are very valuable to me, but you can't replace them with money." Her eyes narrowed slightly. "Iie, money can never, ever buy what I have lost to you. It cannot cover up what happened. It cannot make me forget. So I cannot accept your apology, Mitsui. Apologize to the people who have to be hurt when they find this out. Apologize to my family and to my friends and to my boyfriend. I want to see if they will let you off as easily as I have."

Fujima then glared at him, his voice so cold that it could have frozen the gym. "For hurting my Mire-chan? For putting her through hell and making her live in a nightmare for two years? Iie, I don't think I could forgive you. You just put my girlfriend through a fate that no woman deserves to be put through, and you think I could forgive you for that? I wish I could kill you right now, but I won't do that, if only for Mire-chan's sake. I will have to let the law run its course."

"Mire-chan is my sister," Hanagata spoke then, his eyes flaring with black hatred, "though we are not really that close in kinship. But she's been a sister to me for a long time now, and I would willingly rip limb-from-limb anyone who would so much as lift a finger to hurt her. But you…you just went past that. WAY past that. There is no way in hell you're going to get forgiveness from me. You took away her innocence, her peace of mind, her happiness…and you think I could forgive you for that? For taking away the light in her eyes and the music in her laughter and the sincerity in her smile? If you had a sister and someone just treated her the way you have treated my cousin, I don't think you'd be able to forgive him either." 

He smirked then. "By the way, I hope you know that Mire-chan's parents are flying over in a few days. They're going to talk about what to do with you after what you did to their daughter. Last I heard they were going to take this matter to court. Since Mire-chan has dual citizenship they want to conduct the trial in the Philippines, under Philippine law." He started walking out towards the gym, Fujima and Sumire walking ahead of him. Just before he exited, he turned around, and added, "And guess what? The penalty for rape in Philippine law is death."

And with that, the door slid shut.

Mitsui started to tremble, suddenly going down on his knees in the middle of the court. He felt cold all over, and his heart and lungs were unwilling to work. _Kami-sama…what have I done? What have I done?! _

"Mitsui-sempai…"

Mitsui looked up, and saw Ayako staring down at him, her eyes worried and almost afraid. She tried to smile. "They were lying right? I don't think you could have done that…"

"Iie, it's true. Everything they said is true," Mitsui replied, and he couldn't even recognize his own voice. He stood up slowly, trying to steady himself. "Everything they said, everything they accused me of…it DID happen. Two years ago, right after I left the basketball club and joined a gang…"

"What made you do it? How did it happen?" Akagi's voice was deep and resonating, like always, but there was a note of concern hidden there, even if it did sound rather gruff and uncaring.

"I was…forced. I didn't really want to do it. But if I wanted to become the leader of the gang I had to…I had to do it…" He shook his head, closing his eyes, and tears trickled out from behind his eyelids. "Demo…there's no way I can excuse myself for having hurt her. Iie, there's no excuse for that at all."

Kogure came up to him then, and patted him comfortingly on the shoulder. "We'll stay right by you, Mitsui. You can count on us."

Mitsui grinned slightly, and nodded. "Hai. I know."

*        *        *

Sumire bowed her head, unable to look up at the students of Shohoku as they walked out of the gym and towards Toru's car. She couldn't look at anyone. She had just accused the one who had raped her right in front of his basketball team, for heaven's sake! She couldn't look at anyone at all…

When they were safely in the car, Sumire let it all go. She leaned against Fujima, and started to sob.

Like always, he embraced her, holding her in his warm, comforting arms. "Shhh…it's going to be okay, Mire-chan… It's all over. You've faced him at last, ne? You can rest easy now."

Toru nodded as he started up the car. "Hai. And the bastard's going to get what's coming to him once your parents arrive."

Sumire nodded in agreement as she managed to calm down. She stayed close to Fujima, letting him rub her back gently in a soothing gesture. _Toru-kun's right. Mitsui is going to get what he deserves… _

However, some part told her that what she was thinking was wrong, so very, very wrong…

AUTHOR'S OOC:

Harle sighs, and rubs head: Argh, this is getting harder and harder to write! I can't write angst! I can't write depressing scenes! I write ROMANTIC SCENARIOS, not emotionally charged moments!!!

Maia shakes head and pats Harle's back: Easy there, girl, you're going to get through with this… It's nearly done, isn't it?

Harle nods: Yeah, but still… I don't feel SATISFIED with the way it's going!!!!

Chibi-Sumire grins: I don't think so. I mean, this IS your first time to write such an angsty fic, ne? So just give yourself a chance and who knows, you'll make it better as time goes by! 

Chibi-Fujima nods: Hai! This is just a springboard. You're just "testing the waters"… Did I use that right?

Chibi-Sumire smiles proudly: Hai. rewards Fujima with a kiss You can be so sweet sometimes, you know that?

Chibi-Fujima blushes, and laughs: Ah…hai, whatever you say Mire-chan…

Harle sighs tiredly, but smiles: You know seeing you two together makes the headache all worth it. Now then, let's get on to the next chapter, shall we? This is NEARLY DONE!!!! Just a chapter or two more and this will be over…it will be all over…

A NOTE TO THE PERSON WHO KEEPS FLAMING ME VIA TEXT:

Sweetie, I am SUPERBLY flattered that you would choose to waste so much effort, time, and money on me ^_^. Really, that's such a HUGE compliment! I mean, you'd go through the trouble of getting a spare SIM (which costs a lot), sending me business cards AND text messages only to tell me that I'm stupid, idiotic, imbecilic…oh dear, sorry, was "imbecilic" a little too complicated for your rather base and simple vocabulary? Do forgive me for that oversight ^_^. And also, I would like to congratulate you for being the first person to call me a bitch!!! I've been waiting for some time for someone to call me that and you've just done it!!! I have been called many names before – quite creative ones, if I may add – but nothing is as sweet as the simple insult "bitch". I'll take that as another compliment, if you don't mind ^_^. 

But sweetie really, if you want to insult me you're going to have to work just a little harder. For one, perhaps you would want to refine your flaming methods? I have received better flames from other people – many of them coming via my email address and with more intellectual cuss words. I once received a flame in seven different languages and I had to ask for help in translating it ^_^. Now THAT'S a flame I can respect ^_^. What else? Oh yes, and unless you are really some sad little person with nothing better to do with your time, might I read YOUR fics for a change? I tend to do that, you know; helps me look at my flamers with an even keel. Now whether your fics are good or just the Internet equivalent of detritus floating in the Pasig River will not mean I will flame you back. I am not so uncivilized that I would stoop so low as to flame your fics right back. Though I am yet to reach Nirvana, I believe I am enlightened enough to know that to start a war is not the best course for humanity and for our lives in general. Oh dear, have I hurt you by calling you "uncivilized" and implying that you are "unenlightened"? I do beg for your pardon ^_^.

So then sweetie, the point of this whole note is to tell you to stop wasting your money, effort, and time on me. I don't deserve your adoring attention, really. I'm just a writer doing what she likes best. I'm quite sure that you have better things to spend your money on than sending messages to me. Perhaps you would consider donating the price of whatever credits you spend on me to charity? I'm sure that the poor and the destitute deserve that money more than I do. After all, you seem to have quite a lot of money to burn, so might as well make it count, right? Anyway, I think that is all the time I have for now. I feel that it is time for me to leave you here and resume working on my original novel. Once more, I thank you from the bottom of my soul for going out of your way to send me messages and spending time and money on me. I do not deserve the attention. Thank you.  

Oh yes, and one more thing. If you cannot tell the difference between complimenting and outright sarcasm, how I pray that the heavens will illuminate your extremely addled and moronic brain.


	16. Chapter Fifteen: Forgiveness?

Chapter Fifteen: Forgiveness? 

Sumire walked rapidly down the street, heading for the meeting place that she and Fujima had set. She growled to herself as she rounded a corner, heading for the ice cream shop Fujima had taken her to on their first "date". _Why did Mom have to suddenly give me a mile-long grocery list just because I so happened to be going out?! I'm going out on a DATE with my boyfriend! It's not like I was going to go shopping! _She glanced momentarily at her watch, and groaned. It was just five minutes to four in the afternoon, and she was NOWHERE near the ice cream shop yet. "Oh great, just great! NOW I know I'm going to be late!"

She looked around her, trying to see if she could take a shortcut somewhere. She sighed in relief when she saw a small alley to her left. _Oh thank God! _She turned on her heel, heaving the grocery bags, and started walking purposefully down the alley. _I think this leads to the little side street that opens up on the side of the ice cream shop… Hopefully if I take it I'll get there on time. _

She was halfway down the alley when she heard groans and thumps coming from the other end. She stopped, listening carefully. _What's this? A fight? _She knew that the most logical thing to do would have been to just turn around and get the hell out, but her curiosity got the better of her, and she walked forward slowly, trying to avoid being seen.

What she saw immediately made the blood freeze in her veins. _Oh God… _Right in front of her, a group of men were all ganging up on another guy, who seemed hardly able to stand up anymore due to the fact that he had taken so many injuries already.

One of the men laughed wickedly as he kicked the other one in the gut. "Serves you right for just leaving us like that, Mitsui. Now you're going to pay."

Sumire hardly noticed it when the grocery bags slipped from her nerveless arms and landed on the pavement with soft thumps. _Mitsui… These guys are beating up MITSUI?! But I thought he was the leader…after all, he had to rape me if wanted to become a leader… So why this? _

"I told you guys before, I gave up on all this shit!" Mitsui yelled at his attackers, even as he clutched his hurting abdomen. "I had better things to do than this! I found something better…"

"What? That pathetic game of yours? That basketball?" The leader of the gang shook his head. "You gave up on basketball two years ago all because you had an injured knee…that's pretty pathetic, actually. You joined up with us because you felt your other teammates wouldn't accept you. You felt that they had looked down on you after that. You really WERE weak, Mitsui.  And to think, I always believed you had the guts to be a gang leader, especially after what you did to that pretty girl we found for you two years ago."

"LEAVE HER THE HELL OUT OF THIS!" Mitsui shouted back. "That was the worst mistake of my life!!! I didn't want to do it to her, I didn't want to hurt her…but what could I do?! You FORCED me to do it!!! You forced me to!!! You told me that I HAD to rape her if I wanted to be accepted!! You MADE me do it!!!!"

The gang leader smirked. "Like hell we did. You did it yourself, Mitsui. You did it all by yourself. We just found her and told you to do it. You did it anyway. We didn't force you. Face the music like a man." And with that he kicked Mitsui again.

Sumire stepped back slowly, shaking her head. _What? Mitsui didn't really want to do it? He did it…against his will? _She realized then what her heart had been screaming at her all along: that Mitsui was as innocent as she was, mere pawns in a game wherein those who wanted to be accepted had to do outrageous, even criminal, things to belong. _He just wanted to fit in… Just as much as I would want to belong, just as much as ANY TEENAGER would want to belong._

And she knew then the significance of his words to her those two years ago…

_Gomen nasai…_

_I didn't want to do it to her, I didn't want to hurt her…but what could I do?! You FORCED me to do it!!!_

Sumire screamed in surprise and in pain when a hand grabbed her roughly by the wrist. When her eyes focused again she realized that the gang leader had now grabbed her wrist, and was looking down at her with a malicious gaze.

"Well, well, well, look what we found!" he exclaimed as he pulled Sumire harder towards him. "I remember you… Yeah, you're the one we caught for Mitsui!" He grabbed her other wrist, and pulled it up over her head as he shoved her against the wall. "Mitsui had his fun with you… Now it's my turn…"

Sumire wanted to scream, wanted to struggle, but she couldn't. _It's just like before… I couldn't do anything… _She closed her eyes, wincing. _Is it going to happen all over again? _

"NO!"

Sumire felt the hold on her wrists weaken, and she managed to pull herself out of their grasp and back away farther into the alley. A slightly hunched figure stood in front of her, a figure that was covered in cuts and bruises. Her eyes widened. _Mitsui? _

Mitsui stood in front of her, his arms up in a defensive posture, heaving in air in ragged pants. "If you want her," he muttered as he glared darkly at his opponents, "then you're going to have to get past me first. I hurt her once, and I'm going to make sure she never gets hurt again by the likes of YOU!!"

Sumire stared up at her "protector", even as she managed to get back on her feet again. "Mitsui…"

He glanced at her, smiling slightly around the many wounds on his face. "I know I can't pay you back with money, but I guess I can pay with my life." He nodded towards the other end of the alley. "Look, start running right now. I'm going to be right behind you. I'll try to keep this guys busy so you can have a head start. Can you do that?"

"H-hai!" Sumire stammered as she started heading towards the other end of the alleyway. From the back, she could hear a couple of punches being thrown, and then the sound of someone running behind her. She was tempted to look back and see if it was Mitsui, but then a thought entered her head. _What if it isn't him? _This thought made her run all the more faster.

In no time she had burst through the end of the alley and into the main street. As she looked around, she found Fujima standing just outside the ice cream shop, obviously waiting for her, and looking just a tad impatient.

"KENJI-KUN!" Sumire ran up to him then, throwing her arms around him. "Kenji-kun, they're after me, they're out to get me…"

Fujima gripped her gently by the shoulders, pushing her back so that he could look down at her face. "Mire-chan, calm down. What's going on? Why were you running like that?" 

Sumire was about to answer him, but then, screams from passing women and shouts of "Gangster fight!" echoed back to them. Sumire whirled around, and moving all the more closer to Fujima as she watched Mitsui and his opponents emerge from the alley.

Her boyfriend's eyes narrowed when he saw Mitsui. "Nani? What's going on here?"

"He defended me," Sumire whispered as she watched Mitsui dodge kicks and punches from his attackers. "He defended me when those other guys wanted to-"

Fujima shook his head then. "Don't go on, Mire-chan. Don't go on." He clasped close to him then, his arms almost crushing her. "Kuso… I should have been there… I should have been there to protect you!"

Sumire only let her boyfriend hold her the way he did, relying on his presence psychologically to keep her sane. _But Mitsui protected me when you couldn't Fujima… He defended me when you weren't around… _And in that moment, it made perfect sense to her what she should do…

The police came at that moment, breaking up the brawl. They put Mitsui in an ambulance, while the other troublemakers they put in a police car. With the ruckus broken up, Fujima straightened up, and held Sumire's hand. "Come Sumire, let's take you home."

Sumire nodded as she followed her boyfriend towards their house. Their date may have been cut short, and she may have lost the groceries, but somehow that didn't seem to matter anymore. Not in the face of something like this. 

_I have to do it… And I will. Mom and Otoo-san might not like it, but they will have to understand… I will make then understand…_

*        *        *

He really couldn't help but overhear.

Toru had been moving his things from the living room table (after working on a project) to his room when he heard the voices of his aunt, uncle and cousin discussing something loudly in the dining room. Since only an open doorway and nothing more connected the two rooms, Toru sat down on the sofa, and listened.

He heard his uncle's voice first. "WHAT?! You don't want to go through with the trial?!"

"I just think this is the best way to go…" Sumire's voice said quietly.

Now came his aunt's voice. "Hija, do you even KNOW what that means? He will get free, and he will rape other young girls like you, and-"

"Mitsui is NOT a criminal, Mom." The conviction in Sumire's voice was all too clear in Toru's ears. "I found out this afternoon that he was FORCED to do it. He didn't really want to do it…he did it just because he wanted to belong."

"WHAT KIND OF PEOPLE WOULD RAPE WOMEN FOR ACCEPTANCE?!" roared Sumire's father.

The silence that followed was stunning. Toru found himself holding his breath involuntarily. And then…

"When a person, especially a teenager, is desperate for acceptance, they're willing to go the extra mile for it, even if it should mean going against the law," Sumire said quietly. "He just wanted to belong, Otoo-san… If I were in his shoes…someone desperate to find acceptance…I would have done what he did."

The house was quiet again, and Toru thought that his aunt and uncle would turn his cousin down. _Though I have to admit, I would understand why they would do that, _he thought. _After all, after what Mitsui did to her, I don't think he deserves any excuse, not even if he was forced to do it or any of that stuff Mire-chan keeps on talking about…_

At last, Sumire's mother uttered a sigh, and said, "Well hija, if that's what you want, then it's just fine by us. If you have found it in yourself to forgive him, then I suppose that we can do the same."

"So you won't put Mitsui on trial?"

"No, if that's what you want."

"Arigatou Mom, Otoo-san."

Toru scurried up to his feet, and ducked into his room just before his aunt, uncle and cousin left the dining room. As he closed the door softly behind him, he stared into space, utterly stunned._ She's going to forgive him?! She's going to let that do'aho get away for what he did?! _He glared at the wall in front of him. _She can't, she CAN'T!!! She can't let that bastard get away without paying, without even SUFFERING at the very least!!!_

A soft knock on his door brought him back to reality. From the sound, he knew right away who it was. He turned around, and opened the door to reveal Sumire standing in the doorway.

His cousin smiled up at him. "Could I talk to you for a minute, Toru-kun? Or I can wait later, if you're busy…"

"Iie, now's a good time to talk. And I want to talk to you too," Toru replied as he let Sumire walk into his room before the closed the door behind him. When he was certain that it was firmly shut, he whirled around to Sumire, and hissed, "I can't BELIEVE you're going to let him get away!!!! Just last week you were going on and on about not being able to forgive him and now you're just going to let him go?! What's gotten into you, Mire-chan?!"

Sumire smiled at him, though there was a hint of sadness in it. "Heh, I knew you were listening in." She sighed, and plopped down on his bed. "Do you want to hear why I suddenly thought about it that way?"

"Of course I do," Toru replied as he sat down beside Sumire. "And it'd better be a good explanation, because otherwise I'm going to tell Auntie and Uncle to go on with the trial whether you like it or not."

And Sumire then told him about what happened that afternoon, how Mitsui had actually protected her and prevented her from getting raped a second time. She also told him that Mitsui hadn't really wanted to rape her, that he was forced to do it because he was craving for acceptance.

"And I think you would do the same thing, if you were put under the exact same pressure he was," Sumire told him quietly. "Wouldn't you be desperate to be accepted if the same thing had happened to you?"

Toru smirked. "You know that I would NEVER, under any circumstance, allow myself to stoop so low as to actually RAPE a girl just to be accepted by some bunch of morons!"

"Put yourself in his shoes for once, Toru-kun. Imagine getting injured almost permanently, unable to play the game because of that… I know you, Toru-kun. A large part of your life revolves around playing basketball. It's the same thing with Mitsui. He was kicked out of the team – albeit for a while – because of his injury. He couldn't do what he loved to do the most. And then…and then it started to spiral down from there, I guess."

Toru was silent, thinking it over. _Would I really be that desperate? _He put himself in the situation Sumire had made him think about, he thought about what he would have done… And he shuddered. He realized that yes, he would have done the same thing if he were in Mitsui's situation. He shook his head, and sighed, bending it. "I guess…you're right, Mire-chan."

Sumire sighed, and hugged him comfortingly. "Don't worry, Toru-kun. I know what I'm doing. I know that he deserves to be forgiven. I was just too stubborn to notice it, and too hurt, I suppose."

Toru nodded, putting his other arm around her as well. "I always knew you were smart, Mire-chan. And I guess this is one of those times when you're just absolutely brilliant."

"Stop flattering me, Toru-kun. You know, if you keep that up you're never going to have a steady girlfriend."

"Yeah right. Flattery will only make the girl fall all the harder."

Sumire glared at him. "Then does that mean you're just flattering me?"

Toru grinned. "I didn't say anything."

"TORU-KUN!!!!"

AUTHOR'S OOC:

Harle glares at Mitsui: All right, I made sure you got away. Now will you PLEASE let go of my boot now?

Chibi-Mitsui nods, and lets go: Oh, arigatou Harle-sama!!! 

Maia shakes her head: You should've just squashed him, you know. You ARE wearing your steel-toed boots…

Harle shakes head: I'm not the one who will do the squashing…

Chibi-Fujima and Chibi-Toru glaring at Mitsui: You're going to die…

Chibi-Mitsui looks at Harle desperately: Oi, Harle-sama, I thought they weren't going to beat me up anymore!!!

Harle shrugs: Not in the official story, but here, I have no control over them, so… Sorry?

Chibi-Mitsui eyes widen in panic as Fujima and Toru get closer: Aahh…guys, we can talk this over, ne? Ne?

Chibi-Fujima eyes flash fire: No.

Mitsui runs off, leaving a little dust-cloud in his wake, followed by Fujima and Toru

Maia sighs: And there they go… Wonder if Mitsui will survive this?

Harle shrugs: He will. He's been able to survive other things; why not this? Anyway, I think it's about time we wrapped this thing up. However, I don't think this is the end just yet…not by a long shot…


	17. Epilogue: What's Next?

Epilogue: What's Next? 

"Mire-chan! Mire-chan, Fujima's here!"

"Hai, hai, I'll be out in a minute!" Sumire gazed at herself in the mirror, checking her outfit. _Looks good enough. _She snatched her bag up from the bed, and bounded out of her room to the front door. She grinned as she approached the living room, where Toru and Fujima were discussing something together.

Fujima was the first to catch sight of her, and he smiled as she came closer. "You look beautiful, Mire-chan," he said as he walked up to her, catching her hand.

Toru smiled approvingly. "Where do you get those pretty clothes of yours, Mire-chan?"

"The mall," Sumire replied as she rolled her eyes at her cousin. "And you know you've seen this blouse and this skirt already at one point…"

"But not together," Fujima replied with a grin. "So, are you ready?"

Sumire nodded. "Hai! That play you told me about sounds like a very good idea."

Toru grinned. "I never thought that you were the cultured type, Kenji…"

Fujima glared at his best friend. "Shut up about my tastes, Toru."

Sumire simply laughed. "Girls like it when their men have cultured tastes, Toru-kun. Remember that. Intellectuality appeals to many girls."

Fujima smirked triumphantly then. "See?"

"I don't know if I can get any more intellectual-looking with these," Toru said with a sigh as he pushed his glasses a little further up his nose. 

"Oh, don't you worry, I'm sure you'll find someone who likes you for who you are," Sumire said with a wave of her hand. As she and Fujima walked towards the door, she turned around, and grinned. "Oi Toru-kun, I just remembered. I intend to introduce you to one of my best friends."

"Nani?" Toru raised an eyebrow in question. "What do you mean, best friend? Are you talking about Ayame and Reiko and the others? But I know of them."

"Not them, stupe! My best friend Melina Couros is coming over to visit next week. SHE'S the one I want to introduce to you!"

Toru nodded then. "Oh! A Filipina, right?"

"Yeah." Sumire snickered as she started walking out towards the door. "You and Mel would make a really cute couple, you know…"

"MIRE-CHAN!!!"

AUTHOR'S OOC:

Harle sighs: Not really the best way to end it, but I think that this is the best I can do.

Maia giggles: So you're really going to put Melina in, eh? Now this is something I just GOT to see!!!

Chibi-Sumire laughing uncontrollably: Oh my God, Harle-sama… Do you REALLY intend to put Toru-kun and Mel together?! THOSE TWO?!?!?! doubles over laughing

Harle grins, and nods: Yup! And I swear I'll be able to do it!!!

Chibi-Toru looks very confused: Nani? What's going on? What do they mean, Fujima?

Chibi-Fujima snickering: Nothing… I won't tell you! There's no way I am going to tell you…

Harle smiles: Good boy Fujima! Now then, the story of Sumire and Fujima ends here…for now. Because I'm about to move on to another story, which is a direct continuation of this one. Although it will be a while before I put it up, but I think it will be worth the wait. Watch out for it, okay? See y'all next time!!!

LEMON CHAPTER: The lemon chapter for this fic can be found here: http://www.fanfiction.net/read.php?storyid=937710 Hope you enjoy it ^_~!! Maia worked doubly hard on this one…

Maia nods head vigorously: She's right, she's right…


End file.
